A fast-moving wildfire in Orange County, California, burned multiple homes and forced thousands of residents to evacuate Friday as it spread rapidly across hundreds of acres driven by fierce Santa Ana winds.
The Norte Fire began around noon Friday in the San Clemente area and by Friday evening had grown to between 465 and 570 acres, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. The fire spread into San Juan Capistrano, where aerial footage showed flames engulfing residential structures. Six homes were destroyed or damaged by the blaze, fire officials said. Two firefighters suffered significant injuries but were stable in area hospitals; additional reports indicate at least one firefighter experienced mild heat exhaustion. The cause of the fire was not specified in available reports.
Evacuation orders were issued for multiple areas in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, affecting approximately 16,000 residents across roughly 4,600 homes, according to Orange County Fire Authority Chief TJ McGovern. Orange County sheriff's deputies went door to door in evacuation zones, directing residents to leave immediately. The Capistrano Unified School District dismissed ten schools early "out of an abundance of caution" and canceled sports and after-school programs. Most evacuation orders were lifted by Saturday evening, though one street in San Clemente remained under evacuation orders as of Saturday.
Topography and weather conditions allowed the fire to grow rapidly, according to Orange County Division 3 Fire Chief Mark Backoff. Wind gusts reached 25 miles per hour Friday afternoon and remained elevated into the evening. The Santa Ana winds eased to gusts of 17 miles per hour by Saturday and were expected to diminish later in the weekend, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. However, officials warned that conditions would remain volatile through Saturday night, and firefighters stressed the need to guard against new fires that could erupt from embers blown by the persistent strong winds.
Firefighting efforts included more than 500 personnel from the ground and air, with crews using water-dropping aircraft to slow the flames. By Saturday morning, the fire remained at approximately 5 percent contained, though by Saturday evening containment had increased to 25 percent. Orange County Fire Authority Chief TJ McGovern stated that crews' immediate objective was "keeping the fire within its current footprint." Orange County Fire Authority spokesperson Steve Concialdi noted Saturday that "a majority of the fire has been knocked down" but warned that some homes remained threatened and conditions were still dangerous.
The Norte Fire was one of several wildfires that erupted across Southern California as Santa Ana winds began Thursday. The Bryson Fire in Malibu, Los Angeles County, burned approximately 150 acres and had reached 52 percent containment by Friday. More than 7,000 structures were in areas under evacuation orders or warnings because of that fire, which prompted evacuation of hundreds of people. The Henderson Fire in San Diego County near Camp Pendleton had burned nearly 2,100 acres with 0 percent containment as of midday Friday and forced closure of northbound and southbound lanes on Interstate 5. In response to fire danger, major California utilities including Southern California Edison and PG&E shut down power circuits serving tens of thousands of customers, with more than 200,000 customers without electricity as of Friday afternoon.
U.S. Representative Mike Levin, a Democrat whose district includes part of Orange County, evacuated his family's San Juan Capistrano home while attending an event nearby. Levin thanked firefighters for preventing greater damage and commented that "year-round wildfire season" has become the "new normal" for Southern California. Resident Robert Morris, who has lived in the area since 1995, told CNN affiliate KCBS that the fire was "a wake-up call," adding that it was the first significant fire threat he had experienced in nearly three decades of residence. Some residents, including local council member Howard Hart and his wife, sprayed water on their properties and moved propane tanks before evacuating.
