A wildfire driven by Santa Ana winds burned through about 465 acres on the border of San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano on Friday, damaging or destroying at least six homes and forcing mandatory evacuations in south Orange County. The Orange County Fire Authority said the Norte Fire was reported at 11:33 a.m. near Portico Del Norte in San Clemente before winds pushed it into San Juan Capistrano.
The fire was 0% contained as of Friday evening, according to CAL FIRE. OCFA said most of the damaged homes were in a hillside neighborhood off Via La Mirada in San Juan Capistrano, and aerial video suggested the number could reach eight or more. One firefighter was taken to a hospital with mild heat exhaustion and is doing well, OCFA said.
Evacuation orders cover San Juan Capistrano Zones 4, 5 and 10 and San Clemente Zones 12 and 13. Shelters are open at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, 25925 Camino del Avion, and the San Clemente Community Center, 100 Calle Seville. "This is not a show. This is real life and it's dangerous," Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley told NBC4. Capistrano Unified dismissed several schools early and canceled after-school programs.
In Malibu, the Bryson Fire has burned about 147 acres and is 39% contained, with no homes lost. Southern California Edison cut power to more than 130,000 customers, and forecasters say the fire risk will stay high through Saturday night. Gov. Gavin Newsom activated California's State Operations Center on Thursday ahead of the winds.
Photo: Firefighters battle a burning home during the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles County, January 2025 (not the Norte Fire). U.S. Forest Service photo by Jason Benton (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Never miss a story — join us on Telegram: https://t.me/profilopoliticsnews