The fast-spreading Norte Fire in Orange County is fuelled by intense warm winds and unseasonably high temperatures.
Published On ۱۷ Oct ۲۰۲۶
A fast-spreading wildfire in Orange County, in Southern California, has engulfed several coastal properties and prompted widespread evacuation orders.
The Orange County Fire Authority said on Friday that the Norte Fire had scorched about ۱۸۸ hectares (۴۶۵ acres), with the state’s Cal Fire agency putting it at about ۲۳۱ hectares (۵۷۰ acres) by the evening, and that at least six homes had been damaged or destroyed in the San Juan Capistrano area.
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The fire authority said firefighters were “aggressively attacking the fire from the ground and air” and issued pleas for people to stay clear of the area.
Unseasonably high temperatures and low humidity are fuelling the rapid growth of the fire, the AFP news agency reported.
The Norte Fire started in the coastal city of San Clemente on Friday and moved to the city of San Juan Capistrano, with some ۶,۰۰۰ homes and ۱۶,۰۰۰ residents under evacuation orders by the evening. An evacuation shelter has opened in each city while helicopters attempt to douse the flames.
Intense warm winds
The Norte Fire is one of several in the region driven by Santa Ana winds, intense warm gusts that blow from the southwest US interior towards the California coast.
The Santa Ana winds typically arrive in the autumn, right when Southern California’s vegetation is at its driest after a long, rainless summer, according to The Weather Channel.
Forecasters said winds blew at between ۵۵km/h and ۹۰km/h (۳۵mph and ۵۵mph) within coastal areas.
The strongest winds were expected through Friday, but the high heat and low humidity conditions that contribute to the growth of the fire are expected to last through Saturday night.
Tens of thousands of people in Los Angeles County were left without power as authorities attempted to lessen the possibility of electrical sparks that the heavy wind gusts could carry.
Other ongoing fires
California firefighters were also busy battling the Bryson Fire, which broke out on the outskirts of the Malibu beach community in Los Angeles County on Thursday. As of Friday, the fire had burned about ۵۹ hectares (۱۴۷ acres) and was ۱۷ percent contained, according to Cal Fire.
The Henderson Fire was ۲۰ percent contained and had burned ۸۴۲ hectares (۲,۰۸۰ acres) in San Diego County by Friday, Cal Fire said. The blaze impacted Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and prompted freeway closures.
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