"Norte Fire"... new forest fires expanding dramatically in southern California

Officials in Orange County, California, said that a rapidly spreading fire broke out in Southern California on Friday, burning hundreds of acres and destroying a number of homes. The Orange County Fire Department reported that the blaze, dubbed the “Norte Fire,” began around noon near a neighborhood in the San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano areas.

By Friday evening, the fire had spread to cover 570 acres, with no control yet. This fire is one of several fires that broke out since Thursday in light of the strong Santa Ana winds sweeping Southern California.

“Our teams remain in position, and evacuations continue throughout the night,” Mike Yoon, battalion chief at the Fire Department, said in a video clip posted on the X platform (formerly Twitter). For his part, Mark Bakov, Chief of Fire Department No. 3 in Orange County, explained in a video posted on social media on Friday afternoon that the nature of the terrain and weather conditions contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

Fire brigade officials said that the fire resulted in the destruction or damage of six homes, and two firefighters suffered “serious” injuries, but their condition is stable in area hospitals. Orange County Fire Chief TJ McGovern said that evacuation orders had been issued in several areas in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, including about 4,600 homes and 16,000 people.

Officials have asked residents to be patient while they evaluate the appropriate time for them to return home safely. Officials indicated that progress had been made in confronting the fire by the evening, but at the same time they warned that conditions were still unstable.

McGovern said in a press conference on Friday evening that the fire control rate is still 0%, noting that the goal of the fire brigades is to "keep the fire within its current scope." Aerial footage, broadcast by KCBS, a channel affiliated with the Ofoq News network, showed a number of homes burning on Friday afternoon.