Homes burn in Southern California amid fast-moving fire, prompting evacuation orders
A fast-moving fire burned at least four homes in Southern California as hot, windy weather gripped the region Friday, prompting evacuations and power outages. TV footage showed homes burning in San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, flames engulfing them.
Wildfire started in the coastal city of San Clemente
The Associated Press
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A fast-moving fire burned at least four homes in Southern California as hot, windy weather gripped the region Friday, prompting evacuations and power outages. TV footage showed homes burning in San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, flames engulfing them.
Aerial footage from TV crews showed firefighters spraying two-storey suburban homes with flames leaping out of their roofs. Black smoke billowed over tennis courts and backyard swimming pools.
The Orange County Fire Authority said four homes have burned in the Norte Fire and that two evacuation shelters have opened. It asked those under evacuation orders to "leave now."
The wildfire started in the coastal city of San Clemente and was driven by the wind into San Juan Capistrano.
Multiple fires in region
The Norte Fire was one of several fires burning in the region that was hit by dry, warm and gusty northeast winds known as Santa Anas, which blow from the interior of Southern California toward the coast and offshore.
The strongest winds were expected through Friday afternoon, but conditions that increase the fire risk were expected to last through Saturday night.
Firefighters attempt to save structures in San Clemente, Calif., while battling the Norte Fire on Friday. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register/The Associated Press)
The fires have led to evacuations and tens of thousands of people in the state are without power after their electricity was turned off.
The cities are in southern Orange County near the coast and surrounded by hillsides. San Juan Capistrano, a city of 35,000, is known for horse trails while nearby San Clemente, which is home to 62,000 people, is known as a "Spanish village by the sea" and popular with beachgoers and surfers.
Fire 'right up on the city'
Victor Cabral, a city council member in San Clemente, said schools have been closed and activities cancelled, and thousands were being asked to evacuate.
Traffic is seen moving along Interstate 5, toward the Norte Fire, in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., on Friday. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images)
"The fire is right up on the city," he said. "It's on the perimeter of our homes on the north end."
A blaze in Malibu, Calif., a coastal town west of Los Angeles, prompted evacuation orders and warnings for a large swath of the Santa Monica Mountains. A large cloud of black smoke over the hilltops could be seen on nearby cameras and kilometres away.
Winds from 32 km/h to 56 km/h were expected Friday, with gusts forecast to reach 80 km/h to 112 km/h in some areas, the U.S. National Weather Service said.
With humidity levels dropping, "this will favour a critical fire weather threat," the service said early Friday.
Hundreds of firefighters battle Bryson Fire
More than 400 firefighters battled the Bryson Fire overnight, which was at 100 hectares on Friday morning. It had threatened a Los Angeles County juvenile detention and rehabilitation facility, which was evacuated Thursday night.
A firefighting helicopter is seen dropping water on the Bryson Fire on Thursday. (David Swanson/Reuters)
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 requested assistance 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 U.S. National Weather Service.
The Santa Anas could reach 32 to 64 km/h, with gusts from 80 to 113 km/h, in the San Gabriel mountains in Los Angeles County and the Santa Susana mountains, which are mostly in Ventura County, Schoenfeld said. Elevated, though brief, critical fire weather conditions were also forecast for portions of the Santa Lucia mountains in San Luis Obispo County.
Several blazes in Southern California
Firefighters on Friday worked to contain two other fires that had sparked Thursday afternoon and triggered evacuation orders in the city of Azusa, Calif., and Camp Pendleton, near San Diego.
More than 175,000 customers in northern, central and southern 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 during dry, windy weather in an effort to prevent blazes.
A wind-driven fire in Azusa, Calif., burned over 16 hectares on Thursday. (Jae C. Hong/The Associated Press)
A wind-driven fire in Azusa, Calif., burned over 16 hectares on Thursday and briefly prompted evacuation orders for a neighbourhood in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains. Forward progress on the blaze had been stopped by midafternoon.
Farther south, a fire at Camp Pendleton threatened buildings. Evacuation orders were issued in the Las Flores area of the military base and lifted by evening, military officials said in a statement.
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