Wildfires rage in Southern California, burn homes
Firefighters in Southern California say a fast-moving wildfire has ripped through at least six homes, prompting evacuations and power outages.
TV footage showed homes engulfed in flames in San Juan Capistrano in Orange County on Friday, local time.
Firefighters doused two-storey suburban homes with flames leaping out of their roofs. Black smoke billowed over tennis courts and backyard swimming pools.
Over 500 firefighters were battling the blaze that had grown to nearly 2 square kilometres, said Captain Steve Concialdi, a spokesman with the Orange County Fire Authority.
A firefighter works to douse a blaze in San Juan Capistrano. (AP: Jae C. Hong)
"We're doing everything we can to protect structures," he told KTLA-TV.
An evacuation shelter has opened in each city.
The Norte fire started in the coastal city of San Clemente and wind drove it into San Juan Capistrano.
It was one of several fires in the region hit by dry, warm gusts known as Santa Anas, which blow from the interior and toward the coast.
The strongest winds were expected through Friday afternoon but conditions that increase the fire risk were expected to last through Saturday night.
Tens of thousands of people in the state are without power after their electricity was turned off.
A separate fire shut down a section of Interstate 5 that is a major artery connecting Orange County to San Diego, adding hours to commutes throughout Southern California.
The coastal cities are surrounded by hillsides.
San Juan Capistrano, a city of 35,000, is known for horse trails and the historic Mission San Juan Capistrano. San Clemente, which is home to 62,000 people, is known as a "Spanish village by the sea" and is popular with beachgoers and surfers.
A resident grabs a garden hose in an effort to help with a wildfire spreading in his neighbourhood, in San Juan Capistrano. (AP: Jae C. Hong)
Thousands were being asked to evacuate, said Victor Cabral, a San Clemente council member.
"The fire is right up on the city,"
he said.
"It's on the perimeter of our homes on the north end."
Nine schools were also closed on Friday in San Juan Capistrano, the Capistrano Unified School District said.
Howard Hart, a local council member, said he and his wife doused their roof with water and moved propane tanks away from their home before they evacuated on Friday with a to-go bag.
Laura Hart has not had to evacuate due to fire in the more than five decades she has lived in the community, she said.
"This doesn't usually happen to us, we usually see it on the news,"
she said.
"We always pray to God it's not us, but yeah, it was today."
Santa Ana winds hit
The Bryson Fire that sparked on Thursday, local time, in Malibu had died down significantly by Friday and firefighters were focused on mop-up and containment, officials said.
The blaze prompted evacuation orders and warnings for a swath of the Santa Monica Mountains that covered more than 12,000 people.
Winds from 32km/h to 56km/h were expected on Friday, with gusts forecast to reach 80km/h to 112km/h in some areas, the National Weather Service said.
A firefighting helicopter drops water as the Bryson Fire, burns in the hills east of Malibu. (Reuters: David Swanson)
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who faced criticism for her city's response to deadly fires in 2025, directed the fire department to deploy personnel and equipment ahead of the winds.
The fire department also asked for help from the state's Office of Emergency Services.
"It's a pretty widespread event of elevated fire weather, so the whole SoCal region should really be on alert," said Rose Schoenfeld, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
In some areas temperatures soared as high as 38 degrees Celsius.
The weather authority said fire danger would remain through much of Saturday, warning residents to be prepared for emergency evacuations.
They also cautioned drivers about dangerous crosswinds, particularly on elevated roadways.
Firefighters battle several blazes
Firefighters on Friday worked to contain two other fires that erupted on Thursday afternoon and triggered evacuation orders in the city of Azusa, east of LA, and Camp Pendleton, near San Diego.
More than 200,000 customers in California were without electricity as of Friday, according to poweroutage.com.
Some of California's worst wildfires have been sparked by power equipment, and utilities in recent years have begun proactively shutting off power in dry winds.
Firefighters use water hoses in San Clemente. (Reuters: Caroline Brehman )
Farther south, a fire at the Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton threatened buildings and doubled in size over one day to more than 8 square kilometres.
The blaze crossed containment lines on Friday morning, closing a section of the I-5 freeway as the fire burned steadily toward it.
Power cuts widespread
In Northern California, some communities in the Sierra Nevada and its foothills began experiencing strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity on Wednesday night.
The weather service issued a red flag warning for parts of central and Northern California throughout Friday morning, saying any fires would spread rapidly.
Such warnings are issued when weather conditions create an increased risk of wildfires.
Customers from the Central Coast to the upper corners of the Sierra Nevada could be without power through Saturday afternoon, Pacific Gas and Electric Company said.
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