Crews are battling a wildfire, dubbed the Norte Fire, that is threatening homes in the San Juan Capistrano area on Friday afternoon.
The Orange County Fire Authority said firefighters responded to the area of Portico Del Norte shortly after 11:30 a.m. after receiving reports of the fire.
"In anticipation of the fire weather that we're currently experiencing, we had upstaffed a bunch of resources and placed them in strategic areas to anticipate potential fires and their growth," OCFA Battalion Chief Mark Backhoff said.
Firefighters said the topography, coupled with the weather, allowed the fire to quickly grow to 570 acres and prompted evacuation orders.
The OCFA said crews are aggressively attacking the fire from the ground and air. Aerial footage showed helicopters and planes dropping water and fire retardant as flames burned several homes. The OCFA said the fire impacted six homes.
Two firefighters were hospitalized with significant injuries but are in stable condition, according to the OCFA.
"I've lived here since 1995, and this is the first time we've really ever had a fire in this area," resident Robert Morris said. "It's a wake-up call."
Crews knocked down the majority of the fire by 5:45 p.m., according to Capt. Steve Concialdi.
"We still have some homes that are impacted here," he said. "As you can see, the wind is still blowing pretty strong up here."
State officials secured a FEMA grant to provide additional resources to crews in Orange County.
"By securing this federal assistance, we are ensuring our local and state partners have the critical resources they need to aggressively fight the Norte Fire, protect lives and property, and keep Californians safe," Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a statement.
Agencies from LA County and San Bernardino County sent resources to help OCFA throughout the fire.
"Our community will get through this together," San Juan Capistrano Mayor John Campbell said. "Right now, our focus is on protecting life, supporting those who have been displaced, and giving our first responders the space and resources they need to continue their work."
Evacuation orders have been issued for San Juan Zones 4, 5 and 10. They have also been issued for San Clemente Zones 12 and 13.
"Follow the evacuation orders because we never know when the wind will change," County Supervisor Katrina Foley said. "That's what we saw during the Airport Fire. We don't want anyone to get hurt."
Evacuation shelters:
"Please be patient with us right now. We know you want to get back into your homes," Concialdi said. "We have a lot of firefighters working ... We don't want to see any more homes be damaged from this fire."
A Santa Ana wind event and hot temperatures have elevated fire danger across Southern California. A heat advisory will be in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday for inland Orange County and coastal areas across Southern California. Temperatures are expected to reach up to 95 degrees, increasing the risk of heat-related illness.
Concialdi said crews are attempting to put out embers and hotspots to prevent the Santa Ana winds from spreading the fire.
"When we have Santa Ana winds, they could blow embers a mile, even greater," Concialdi said.
He added that OCFA's firefighting helicopters will continue to fly amid the windy conditions.
"If there's a threat, they'll be flying," Concialdi said.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District said the smoke and particles from the Norte Fire will degrade air quality to levels unhealthy for sensitive groups by Friday evening in parts of South Orange County, including San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Niguel. It is expected to remain at that level until Saturday morning.
AQMD said the air quality will be good to moderate for most of South Orange County by Saturday afternoon. It urged residents to remain indoors with windows and doors closed, use their air conditioners and air purifiers, but avoid swamp coolers or fans that can bring in outside air.
It also recommended residents use N95 or P100 respirators if they must go outside.
"Remain vigilant and listen to emergency officials as we continue to face high Santa Ana winds and work to suppress the Norte Fire in Orange County," Newsom wrote on a post to X.
San Diego Gas and Electric, which operates the power utilities in the area, said an outage that started at 11:31 a.m. affected about 496 customers during the fire.
Another outage that affected 2,351 customers near the fire appeared later in the afternoon.
As a precaution, Santa Margarita Water District asked residents in the area to conserve water.
"Our firefighters have had no issues getting water onto this fire," OCFA Chief TJ McGovern said. "I know that the Santa Margarita Water District is asking all residents to follow their standard wildfire protocol ... Again, we have no issues, and this is a precautionary measure."
The California Highway Patrol closed the Ortega Highway onramp to the southbound 5 Freeway. Authorities asked people to avoid the area.
The northbound 5 Freeway through San Diego County was closed earlier in the day for another fire, but it was reopened by 5:30 p.m.
"We just need people to stay off the I-5, stay off the freeway because it's impacted," Foley said.
