A fast-moving fire spread into neighborhoods in southern California on Friday as the region braces for more hot, windy weather that will amplify fire dangers through Saturday.
Several structures could be seen ablaze in video footage captured by local news helicopters as firefighters worked to wrangle the more than 465 acre Norte fire, which erupted in Orange county on Friday.
At least six homes were destroyed, according to Mark Backoff, a division chief with the Orange county fire authority (OCFA). “Due to topography features and the weather, this fire rapidly grew,” he said in a video update Friday afternoon. “We continue to be engaged in the firefight and we have additional resources coming.”
Photos taken by the local TV news station showed a row of houses at the end of a cul-de-sac reduced to blackened debris. Others were coated red by fire retardant.
Roughly 16,000 people in the coastal communities of San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente were under mandatory evacuation orders by Friday afternoon. Flames aggressively ripped across the brush-covered hillsides, shrouding the sky in thick smoke. Sirens wailed through the city streets, as the hum of helicopters and aircraft echoed from above.
Nine schools in the area dismissed early, as the OCFA urged all residents under the order to leave quickly.
In a Friday evening press conference, officials said two firefighters were injured battling the blaze due to heat exhaustion. While the fire continued to burn out of control; authorities said the objective was to limit its further spread and keep the fire within its current footprint.
Just to the south, a blaze dubbed the Henderson fire, which erupted in San Diego Marine Corps training base Camp Pendleton on Thursday, swept across more than 2,000 acres by Friday afternoon
Videos of the incident shared by the California department of forestry and fire protection showed a wall of flames that thrashed in the strong winds alongside the Interstate 5. The major highway was closed in both directions by California Highway Patrol for part of the afternoon, as plumes of thick black smoke clouded visibility. The blaze was 20% contained by Friday evening.
A blaze in Malibu, west of Los Angeles, covered roughly 146 acres and was 39% contained on Friday evening. Evacuation orders and warnings for a large swathe of the Santa Monica Mountains were still in effect.
Facing daytime highs of up to 92F (33C) with wind gusts reaching up to 65mph, fire officials said “crews will continue to protect structures and build containment” in a Friday morning update, adding that fire progression and flare ups could occur under increasing winds.
More than 7,200 structures remained under threat, but none have been reported damaged or destroyed by the Bryson fire.
Lindsey Horvath, the Los Angeles county supervisor, thanked firefighters “who held the line to make sure that despite these challenging winds, no lives or structures were put in harm’s way” by the blaze. Local residents were asked to keep roads clear to make it easier for emergency responders to operate.
There were “only minor injuries” to the more than 400 firefighters working to contain the Bryson blaze, Anthony Morrone, the Los Angeles fire chief, said during a press conference held on Friday morning.
The blazes broke out during a high wind event that has increased fire risks across southern California. Dry, warm and gusty north-east winds known as Santa Anas, which blow from the interior of southern California toward the coast and offshore, could continue through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, and the potential for extreme fire behavior and rapid spread may still rise.
As the firefight continues, California governor Gavin Newsom secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management agency to help support crews working to suppress Orange county’s Norte fire.
“By securing this federal assistance, we are ensuring our local and state partners have the critical resources they need,” he said in an issued statement.
In anticipation of the extreme weather event, California’s office of emergency services also pre-positoned resources statewide.
“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.
Fire hazards typically rise in southern California during this time of year, and risks are expected to remain high into November. If there aren’t significant rains, they could extend longer.
Related: Evacuations issued as multiple wildfires ignite in hot, windy California
Because some of the state’s worst wildfires in recent years have been sparked by power equipment, utilities proactively shut off power to more than 150,000 customers across the state.
In Los Angeles, the 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.
Schoenfeld said the Santa Ana winds are not going to be as strong as those that fueled a deadly firestorm in early 2025, that destroyed thousands of homes and killed more than 30 people when gusts reached up to 100mph.
But she still urged residents to be ready.
“We are still in red flag conditions through 8pm [Saturday] evening,” Horvath said. “It’s important that we stay vigilant and stay prepared.”
