ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — A fast-moving wildfire dubbed the Norte Fire burned homes and forced thousands of residents to evacuate Friday as fierce Santa Ana winds swept Southern California.
The fire erupted near San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano and grew to hundreds of acres by evening, with later updates putting it near 570 acres and still largely uncontained. Division Chief Mark Backoff said at least six homes were damaged or destroyed and one firefighter suffered heat exhaustion, the BBC and local outlets reported.
Evacuation orders and warnings covered thousands of homes. Shelters opened in both cities as ash and smoke blanketed coastal neighborhoods. Red-flag warnings remained in effect into Saturday as winds and low humidity kept fire danger extreme.
The Norte Fire was one of more than a dozen blazes statewide. The Bryson Fire in Malibu and the Henderson Fire near Camp Pendleton in San Diego County also prompted evacuations and temporary Interstate 5 closures.
Forecasters warned temperatures near 95°F and gusty winds could continue fueling new starts through the weekend.
Sources: BBC, ABC7, AP News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Pierre Markuse / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
