A rapid wildfire destroyed at least four residences in Southern California amid scorching, gusty conditions on Friday, triggering evacuations and power disruptions. Video footage depicted houses ablaze in San Juan Capistrano in Orange County as flames consumed them.
Aerial views from TV teams captured firefighters dousing two-story suburban homes while flames erupted from their rooftops. Thick black smoke loomed over tennis courts and backyard pools.
The Orange County Fire Authority confirmed that the Norte Fire had razed four residences and announced the opening of two evacuation centers. It urged individuals under evacuation orders to vacate immediately.
The wildfire originated in the coastal town of San Clemente and was propelled by the wind into San Juan Capistrano.
The Norte Fire was just one of multiple blazes raging in the area due to dry, warm, and gusty Santa Ana winds blowing from inland Southern California towards the coast and out to sea.
The fiercest winds were expected to persist until Friday afternoon, with heightened fire risk conditions anticipated to endure through Saturday night.
The fires led to evacuations, leaving tens of thousands without power in California after electricity cutoffs. The affected cities lie in southern Orange County, nestled amidst hillsides. San Juan Capistrano, a community of 35,000, is renowned for its horse trails, while nearby San Clemente, home to 62,000 residents, is famous as a seaside “Spanish village” favored by beach enthusiasts and surfers.
Victor Cabral, a council member in San Clemente, reported school closures, activity cancellations, and massive evacuations. He noted that the fire was encroaching upon the city’s northern outskirts.
In Malibu, California, evacuation notices were issued as a blaze threatened a broad section of the Santa Monica Mountains. A dense cloud of black smoke hovered over the hilltops, visible on cameras miles away.
Wind speeds ranging from 32 km/h to 56 km/h were forecasted for Friday, with gusts anticipated to reach 80 km/h to 112 km/h in certain zones, as stated by the U.S. National Weather Service. With decreasing humidity levels, the service warned of a critical fire weather threat.
Over 400 firefighters battled the Bryson Fire overnight, which had spread across 100 hectares by Friday morning. The blaze menaced a Los Angeles County juvenile detention and rehabilitation facility, prompting evacuations.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, in the wake of criticisms over the city’s response to a deadly 2025 fire incident, mobilized fire department personnel and equipment in advance of the high winds. Additional support was sought from the state’s emergency services office.
Meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld from the U.S. National Weather Service emphasized the elevated fire weather risk across the entire Southern California region. The Santa Ana winds could peak at 32 to 64 km/h, with gusts ranging from 80 to 113 km/h in the San Gabriel and Santa Susana mountains, along with potential critical fire weather conditions in parts of the Santa Lucia mountains.
Firefighters labored to contain two other fires that erupted on Thursday afternoon, triggering evacuations in Azusa, California, and at Camp Pendleton near San Diego.
As of Friday, more than 175,000 customers across northern, central, and southern California were grappling with power outages, according to poweroutage.com.
In recent years, some of California’s most destructive wildfires were ignited by power equipment failures. To mitigate risks, utilities have resorted to preemptive power shutdowns during dry, windy conditions to avert potential conflagrations.
