All evacuation orders for San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano were lifted Saturday as firefighters continued battling the 570-acre Norte Fire, which destroyed or damaged several multimillion-dollar homes and was 25% contained Saturday.
Residents affected by the wildfire were allowed to return beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday, when containment was updated to 25%, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
Via La Mirada remained closed to vehicle traffic north of Esperanza to allow OCFA emergency vehicles to continue working. The burn scar remained closed until further notice because it was still considered an active fire hazard area.
The Norte Fire broke out at about 11:30 a.m. Friday in the area of Portico Del Norte, according to the OCFA. Driven by fierce Santa Ana winds, it grew to 250 acres within an hour. By early afternoon, it had scorched at least 465 acres.
Cal Fire announced at 7:27 p.m. Friday that the blaze had grown to 570 acres, an estimate that remained unchanged in the latest available Saturday morning update.
The wind-whipped blaze prompted evacuation orders in multiple neighborhoods of San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, including streets off Camino Las Ramblas down to the San Diego (5) Freeway.
According to San Clemente Chief of Police Services Justin Chevalier, approximately 6,000 homes and 16,000 residents were initially reported under evacuation orders.
Some evacuation orders were lifted Saturday morning, allowing evacuated San Clemente residents to return. Partial repopulation in San Juan Capistrano initially included the Stallion Ridge community, San Juan Hills High School and the landfill off La Pata, before the remaining evacuation orders were lifted Saturday evening.
Evacuation centers were established at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center at 25925 Camino del Avion and San Clemente Community Center at 100 Calle Seville.
A shelter was also established at the Boys & Girls Club in San Juan Capistrano at 1 Via Positiva. Orange County Animal Care in Tustin was available to shelter pets.
Crews battled the blaze on the ground and with water-dropping aircraft, with additional strike teams summoned as the fire grew rapidly. Fire activity diminished by Friday evening, with crews focusing on homes that were still burning.
OCFA Division Three Fire Chief Mark Backhoff said six homes were “damaged or destroyed” by the fire.
“Our hearts go out to the folks impacted by that,” Backhoff said.
The affected structures were generally in the area of Avenida Calita, Via La Mirada and Via De Agua in San Juan Capistrano. Video from the scene showed flames burning through the roofs of multiple homes.
Two firefighters sustained heat-related injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment, according to OCFA officials.
OCFA Capt. Steve Concialdi said firefighters expected to remain in the area for several days to prevent the fire from rekindling.
“We’re going to be here for a number of days. We don’t want rekindling,” Concialdi said. “We don’t want those embers to then catch a palm tree or some vegetation in another area or next to homes.”
The Camino Capistrano off-ramp from the northbound San Diego (5) Freeway was closed due to the fire.
The Capistrano Unified School District dismissed students early Friday at multiple schools, including Bernice Ayer, Clarence Lobo, Concordia, Harold Ambuehl, Palisades, San Clemente, San Juan Hills, Shorecliffs, Truman Benedict and Vista Del Mar.
California secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help ensure critical resources were available to suppress the fire, Cal Fire announced early Saturday.
Airbnb stated it was providing free emergency housing to residents displaced by the wildfire through a partnership with 211OC, a service of Orange County United Way.
Residents needing assistance could dial 211 for information about available resources.
An updated public information map was available at ocsheriff.gov/nortefire.
The cause of the fire remained unknown.