A fast-moving fire fueled by high winds burned at least six homes in Southern California on Friday, engulfing expensive coastal properties and prompting thousands to evacuate. Black smoke—visible from miles away—billowed over tennis courts and swimming pools while firefighters doused blazing homes in San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, per the AP. Some homeowners sprayed water on their properties before heeding evacuation orders. Two firefighters were taken to the hospital with heat-related injuries, officials said. Authorities haven't said how the blaze, which was less than a square mile as of Friday evening, started.
"Had these winds been a little bit stronger, a little bit different direction, this could have been a whole lot worse," says San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler. The Norte Fire started in the coastal city of San Clemente, and wind drove it into San Juan Capistrano. An evacuation shelter has opened in each city. By Friday night, about 16,000 residents had been ordered to evacuate, says Fire Chief TJ McGovern, of the Orange County Fire Authority. 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, with a heat advisory in effect until 8pm local time on Saturday along the Orange County and San Diego County coast, per the National Weather Service. Tens of thousands of people in the state are without power after their electricity was turned off. A separate fire by the Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton shut down for hours a section of Interstate 5 that's a major artery connecting Orange County to San Diego. That added hours to commutes throughout Southern California.
Nine schools were also closed on Friday in San Juan Capistrano, according to the Capistrano Unified School District. Nearby residents were also on edge as smoke darkened the sky. 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 winds. More than 118,000 customers in California were without electricity as of Friday, according to PowerOutage.com. The weather service also issued a red-flag warning for parts of central and Northern California through Friday morning, saying any fires would spread rapidly.
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