Wind-driven Norte Fire destroys six homes in south Orange County as 16,000 residents are told to leave

A brush fire whipped by hot Santa Ana gusts tore through the canyons between San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano on Friday, burning six homes and forcing about 16,000 people out of roughly 6,000 houses in south Orange County. Firefighters went into Saturday with the blaze still at zero containment.

From a hillside to a neighborhood in hours

The Norte Fire started at about 11:30 a.m. near Portico Del Norte on the north side of San Clemente. Wind carried it north into San Juan Capistrano, where flames reached homes along Via La Mirada by early afternoon. It covered about 250 acres around 1 p.m. and had grown to roughly 570 acres by Friday evening.

Six homes were damaged or destroyed. Two firefighters went to the hospital with heat-related injuries in temperatures that climbed into the mid-90s. Officials have not said what sparked the fire.

Orange County Fire Authority Chief TJ McGovern said the goal overnight was to hold the fire inside the ground it had already burned. Helicopters and engine crews worked the ridges into the night and officials expect to stay for several more days of mop-up.

Leaving in minutes

Some families had only moments to get out. One woman said her parents had lived in their San Juan Capistrano house for 46 years and had about ten minutes to grab what they could before it burned. Another evacuee said he left the only home he had known in 16 years.

Rep. Mike Levin, who lives in San Juan Capistrano, said his own family was among those evacuated and thanked the crews who he said saved his neighborhood. San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler said the city had used goats to clear brush on its hillsides before fire season. He asked anyone not under an order to stay off the roads so evacuees and fire engines could move.

Orders cover zones SCL12 and SCL13 in San Clemente plus SJC04, SJC05 and SJC10 in San Juan Capistrano. Evacuation centers are open at the San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente community centers. The Boys and Girls Club on Via Positiva in San Juan Capistrano is the overnight shelter and takes animals. Residents were also asked to save water.

More heat and wind on Saturday

Forecasters said the strongest gusts came Friday and should slowly ease through Saturday. A red flag warning stays in effect into Saturday evening and a heat advisory runs until 8 p.m. along the Orange County and San Diego County coast. Rain fell in the area last weekend but grass and chaparral had already dried out enough to burn hot and fast.

Crews are fighting other fires in the region too. The Bryson Fire near Malibu has burned about 147 acres and was 39 percent contained Friday evening. In San Diego County the Henderson Fire grew past 2,000 acres around Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and twice shut down Interstate 5. Los Angeles kept its red flag parking limits in place through Sunday morning.