Norte Fire holds at 570 acres and 5% contained as evacuation orders stay in place in south Orange County

The Norte Fire in south Orange County, California, had burned 570 acres and was 5% contained on Saturday, Oct. 17, according to the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) and CAL FIRE's incident page. As of 2:07 p.m. ET (11:07 a.m. PT), neither agency had posted newer acreage or containment figures. CAL FIRE's page was last updated at 9:47 a.m. PT (12:47 p.m. ET), and OCFA's most recent incident update on X was posted at 10:53 a.m. ET.

Six homes have been damaged or destroyed, and the cause remains under investigation, OCFA said.

Homes and damage

OCFA has confirmed six homes damaged or destroyed. NBC Los Angeles reported that most of them are believed to be on the San Juan Capistrano side and that aerial images showed eight or more homes could have been affected. Officials have not confirmed that higher number. The fire burned through residential areas near Avenida Calita, Via La Mirada and Via De Agua in San Juan Capistrano, NBC Los Angeles reported, citing OCFA.

San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler said Friday that no homes in his city had been lost, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Associated Press reported that the fire engulfed expensive coastal properties.

Evacuations

Evacuation orders remain in effect for San Juan Capistrano zones SJC04, SJC05 and SJC10 and San Clemente zones SCL12 and SCL13, according to CAL FIRE. CBS Los Angeles reported that evacuation orders and warnings were still in place Saturday morning.

Officials said the orders cover about 16,000 residents. Accounts of how many homes are affected differ. Orange County Sheriff's Department Capt. Justin Chevalier put the number at about 6,000 on Friday evening, according to the Los Angeles Times. OCFA Fire Chief TJ McGovern said about 4,600 at an evening news conference, according to NBC Los Angeles.

CAL FIRE lists shelters at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, 25925 Camino del Avion; the San Clemente Community Center, 100 Calle Seville; and the Boys and Girls Club, 1 Via Positiva, San Juan Capistrano. The Orange County Sheriff's Department said Friday evening that the two community centers would serve as daytime care and reception sites from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. PT and that the Boys and Girls Club would be an overnight shelter that allows animals. The department said OC Animal Care, 1630 Victory Road in Tustin, is taking pets from San Juan Capistrano evacuees. The San Clemente/Dana Point Animal Shelter, 221 Avenida Fabricante, is taking pets from both cities.

Injuries

Two firefighters were hospitalized, and no civilians were hurt, OCFA said, according to CBS Los Angeles. On Saturday, OCFA Capt. Steve Concialdi said one firefighter had been released and the other was doing "very good". Accounts of the injuries differ. CBS Los Angeles, citing OCFA, said both firefighters had significant injuries and were in stable condition. NBC Los Angeles reported that one had mild heat exhaustion and the other had "significant" injuries and was stable. No deaths have been reported.

The fire's spread

The fire was reported at 11:33 a.m. PT Friday (2:33 p.m. ET) near Portico Del Norte and Eminencia Del Norte in San Clemente, according to CAL FIRE. CAL FIRE's updates put it at 10 acres at 12:04 p.m. PT, 250 acres at 1:07 p.m. PT, 465 acres at 2:39 p.m. PT and 570 acres at 7:27 p.m. PT (10:27 p.m. ET) Friday. "Due to weather and topography, this fire moved fast," McGovern said, according to LAist. "It was a wind-driven event."

About 400 firefighters were working the fire Friday night, with 400 more on the way, McGovern said, according to LAist. OCFA said Saturday that crews had worked through the night to strengthen containment lines. "Today, crews will continue working to increase containment and get residents back home as soon as it is safe to do so," the agency said. Speaking to reporters just before 8:30 a.m. PT (11:30 a.m. ET) Saturday, Concialdi said he expected containment to increase "dramatically" during the day, CBS Los Angeles reported.

Conditions

As of 2:07 p.m. ET, the National Weather Service (NWS) office in San Diego had a Heat Advisory in effect for the fire area, with temperatures up to 95 degrees, until 8 p.m. PT (11 p.m. ET) Saturday. A Wind Advisory forecasting northeast to east winds of 15 mph, with gusts of 25 to 35 mph, was in effect until noon PT (3 p.m. ET). A Red Flag Warning through Saturday evening covers Los Angeles and Ventura counties, not the fire area, according to the Los Angeles Times, citing the NWS office in Oxnard. NWS meteorologist Chandler Price said Friday that winds near the fire would gradually decrease Saturday morning into the afternoon before finally calming, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Other impacts

California secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said. The grant lets response agencies apply for reimbursement of 75% of eligible firefighting costs, the Los Angeles Times reported.

On Friday, San Diego Gas & Electric reported outages near the fire affecting about 496 customers and, later, about 2,351 customers, according to CBS Los Angeles. The Santa Margarita Water District asked residents to conserve water as a precaution. McGovern said firefighters had no problems getting water onto the fire.