Norte Fire Damages Homes as Most Evacuation Orders Remain

Authorities said Saturday that some Norte Fire evacuation orders had been lifted, but most remained in effect. The remaining mandatory evacuation orders covered San Juan Capistrano Zones 4, 5 and 10 and San Clemente Zones 12 and 13. Division 3 Fire Chief Mark Backoff said the fire had damaged or destroyed at least six homes. By Saturday morning, the fire had reached 570 acres. It was 5% contained, according to Orange County Fire Authority spokesperson Greg Barta.

Orange County fire authorities said the Norte Fire began in or near San Clemente on Friday, and Santa Ana winds drove it into San Juan Capistrano. It grew from roughly 250 acres at 2 p.m. to 465 acres that evening. Authorities had not disclosed the cause as of Friday evening.

Hundreds of firefighters worked overnight on the Norte Fire in the hills between San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente. Orange County fire officials said two firefighters were taken to hospital with heat-related injuries.

A FEMA Fire Management Assistance Grant was made available to support crews suppressing the Norte Fire.

Fire weather outlook

The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for Southern California and other parts of the state. It forecast sustained winds of 20 to 35 mph, with some gusts of 50 to 70 mph. The most severe wind conditions were expected Friday afternoon before winds gradually eased.

Santa Ana winds are dry, warm and gusty north-east winds that blow from the interior of southern California toward the coast and offshore. Meteorologist Sam Zuber expected winds to keep decreasing through Saturday afternoon and evening, offering some relief to firefighters. Even as winds eased, emergency officials expected dangerous weather to continue through Saturday night and urged residents to remain vigilant and ready to act. The National Weather Service and Southern California emergency officials expected Santa Ana winds, low humidity and dry vegetation to allow rapid fire spread. They warned those conditions could spark or worsen additional fires.

Rain the previous week had not prevented vegetation in the Norte Fire area from drying enough to support intense fire spread, climate scientist Daniel Swain said.

Other fires and emergency response

The Norte Fire was among at least 13 fires burning statewide, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Los Angeles city and county fire agencies had positioned resources ahead of the wind event, with the county fire department adding about 100 personnel to its on-duty staff.

In Malibu, the Bryson Fire prompted evacuation orders in the Santa Monica Mountains. It also threatened a Los Angeles County juvenile detention and rehabilitation facility, which was evacuated Thursday night.

Near Camp Pendleton, the Henderson Fire had burned more than 3,100 acres and was 35% contained Saturday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Henderson Fire and nearby fire activity closed parts of Interstate 5 for hours, the California Highway Patrol reported. The fire-related road closures added hours to some commutes.

The disruption also reached rail passengers: Amtrak closed part of its Pacific Surfliner route and warned customers of significant delays or cancellations.

Community impacts

In San Juan Capistrano, nine schools either closed or dismissed students early on Friday because of the Norte Fire, according to the Capistrano Unified School District. Evacuation shelters opened in both San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente for people displaced by the Norte Fire.

As a broader weather-response impact, precautionary power shutoffs left residents without electricity during hot fire-weather conditions. Southern California Edison cut power to more than 130,000 customers, the Los Angeles Times reported. The more than 130,000 figure counts customers and included around 57,000 households in Los Angeles County.

Separately from the district's closure decisions, parent Rose Garcia said she considered it unsafe for her son, who has asthma, to attend school during an outage. She told the Los Angeles Times the loss of electricity meant there was no air conditioning or air filtration, so she kept him home.