Southern California Wildfires Destroy Homes, Force Thousands to Evacuate
The Norte Fire in Orange County destroyed six homes and forced thousands of residents to flee, while the Bryson Fire near Malibu and a 2,000-acre blaze near Camp Pendleton kept firefighters stretched across Southern California.
A fast-moving wildfire tore through Orange County on Friday, destroying or damaging six homes and forcing thousands of residents from their neighborhoods, as Santa Ana winds fueled multiple blazes across Southern California.
The Norte Fire broke out around 11:30 a.m. Friday in the San Clemente area and grew to 465 acres within about three hours, according to the Orange County Fire Authority and Cal Fire. Evacuation orders went out for zones in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, and shelters opened at community centers in both cities. The fire authority later confirmed six homes had been damaged or destroyed, several of them off Via La Mira in San Juan Capistrano. One firefighter suffered heat exhaustion; no other injuries were reported.
Nine schools in the Capistrano Unified School District dismissed students early because of the smoke, and a highly anticipated high school football game between Mission Viejo and San Clemente was canceled as the fire advanced, according to High School Football America.
Two more fires burn in Los Angeles and San Diego counties
The Norte Fire was one of several burning Friday. The Bryson Fire, which broke out Thursday evening near Encinal Canyon Road and Mulholland Highway north of Malibu, had scorched about 146 acres by Friday morning and was 17 percent contained, the New York Post reported. It threatened the Camp Fred Miller juvenile detention facility and the Malibu Country Club, forced road closures and sent residents to a shelter at Agoura High School. Malibu officials said no homes had been damaged as of Friday morning; one firefighter was hurt, and the cause was not yet known.
Near Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, the Henderson Fire had burned more than 2,000 acres by Friday evening and was 17 percent contained.
Wind, heat and shutoffs keep crews stretched
Strong, dry Santa Ana winds drove all three fires. The National Weather Service warned of critical fire weather with gusts forecast to reach 80 to 112 kilometers per hour (50 to 70 miles per hour) in some areas, and the Malibu area remained under a Red Flag Warning and a heat advisory into Saturday evening. Tens of thousands of residents in Los Angeles County lost power after authorities cut electricity to reduce the risk of wind-driven sparks.
“It’s really windy, and it’s really scary to see this happening again so close to the house,” Malibu evacuee Susan Booker told NBC LA. Residents were still shaken by the Palisades Fire, which burned 720 homes on the city’s east side in January 2025, the Post reported.
Reporting based on coverage by the New York Post, the Associated Press and High School Football America.
