A fast-moving wildfire in Orange County, Southern California, has destroyed coastal properties and prompted authorities to issue widespread evacuation orders, according to local fire officials.
The Orange County Fire Authority said on Friday (local time) that the Norte Fire had burned about 188 hectares (465 acres). By the end of the day, the state agency Cal Fire estimated the burned area at around 231 hectares (570 acres). At least six homes in the San Juan Capistrano area were damaged or completely destroyed.
The fire authority said crews were "aggressively attacking the fire from both the ground and the air" and urged residents to stay away from the danger zone.
According to AFP, unseasonably high temperatures and low humidity are driving the fire's rapid spread. The Norte Fire started in the coastal city of San Clemente on Friday before spreading into San Juan Capistrano. By that evening, about 6,000 homes housing 16,000 residents were under evacuation orders. Each city opened an evacuation shelter while helicopters were deployed to battle the flames.
Fierce hot winds
The Norte Fire is one of several blazes in the region fueled by Santa Ana winds — powerful hot gusts that blow from the interior of the southwestern United States toward the California coast.
According to The Weather Channel, Santa Ana winds typically arrive in autumn, just as vegetation in Southern California is at its driest after a long rainless summer. Forecasters said winds were blowing at 55 km/h to 90 km/h (35–55 mph) in coastal areas.
The period of strongest winds was expected to last through Friday, while hot, low-humidity conditions were forecast to persist into Saturday night. Tens of thousands of people in Los Angeles County lost power as authorities tried to reduce the risk of sparks from wind-blown power lines.
Other fires still burning
California firefighters were also working to contain the Bryson Fire, which broke out on Thursday on the outskirts of the coastal community of Malibu in Los Angeles County. As of Friday, that fire had burned about 59 hectares (147 acres) and was 17% contained, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire also reported that the Henderson Fire was 20% contained and had burned 842 hectares (2,080 acres) in San Diego County as of Friday. That blaze affected Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and forced several highway closures.
