Norte Fire Burns Coastal Homes and Forces 16,000 to Flee in Orange County

A fast-moving wildfire fueled by hot, dry Santa Ana winds tore through expensive coastal neighborhoods in southern Orange County on Friday, burning at least six homes and prompting evacuation orders for roughly 16,000 residents. Black smoke visible from miles away rose over tennis courts and swimming pools in San Juan Capistrano as firefighters doused burning houses. Some local reports put the number of damaged homes higher, at eight or more.

The Norte fire started in the coastal city of San Clemente, and the wind drove it into neighboring San Juan Capistrano. Authorities have not said how the blaze began. It was less than a square mile on Friday evening, but the speed of its spread left little time for people to leave. Two firefighters were taken to the hospital with heat-related injuries, officials said. An evacuation shelter opened in each city, and nine schools in the Capistrano Unified School District were closed.

"Had these winds been a little bit stronger, a little bit different direction, this could have been a whole lot worse," San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler said. Victor Cabral, a San Clemente council member, said the fire was right up against the city. "It's on the perimeter of our homes on the north end," he said. Orange County Fire Authority Chief TJ McGovern put the number of people under evacuation orders at about 16,000 by Friday night.

For many residents, the fire arrived in a place where it rarely does. Howard Hart, a San Juan Capistrano councilmember, said he and his wife soaked their roof, moved propane tanks away from the house and left with a to-go bag. His wife, Laura, said she had not had to evacuate for a fire in the more than five decades she has lived in the community. "This doesn't usually happen to us, we usually see it on the news," she said. Shannon Needham, visiting her mother at an assisted living facility in Dana Point, said buses were put on standby in case that building had to be cleared.

The Norte fire was one of several burning in the region as dry gusts blew from the interior toward the coast. A separate fire near the Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton shut down a section of Interstate 5, a major route between Orange County and San Diego, for hours, adding hours to commutes across Southern California. Tens of thousands of people were also without power after utilities cut electricity as a precaution. Some of California's worst wildfires have been sparked by power equipment, and utilities in recent years have begun shutting off lines in dry winds. More than 118,000 customers statewide had no electricity on Friday, according to poweroutage.com.

The danger is not over. The National Weather Service said the strongest winds were expected through Friday afternoon, but conditions that raise fire risk should last through Saturday night, with a heat advisory in effect for the Orange County and San Diego County coast until 8 p.m. Saturday. A red flag warning was also issued for parts of central and Northern California, where the agency said any fire would spread quickly. NBC News reported that millions of Californians were under a critical fire risk.

San Juan Capistrano, a city of about 35,000 people, is known for its horse trails and the historic Mission San Juan Capistrano. San Clemente, home to about 62,000, is a beach town popular with surfers. Both sit below dry hillsides that have now become the front line of a fire season that is still running well into October.