Norte Fire: O.C. Evacuations

A 570-acre brush fire forced evacuations in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano on Oct. 16.

What Happened

The fire started around 11:30 a.m. near Portico Del Norte in San Clemente and grew to 570 acres by Friday night and was 5% contained as of Saturday morning, per CAL FIRE and OCFA. Six homes have been damaged or destroyed.

Evacuation Zones

Orders remain for zones SCL12, SJC04, SJC05 and SJC10-A. SCL13 and SJC10-B were lifted Oct. 17 at 12:18 p.m. PT. Check your address at ocsheriff.gov/nortefire.

Shelters Open

Overnight shelter, animals OK: Boys and Girls Club, 1 Via Positiva, SJC. Daytime care 8 a.m.-8 p.m.: SJC Community Center (25925 Camino del Avion) and San Clemente Community Center (100 Calle Seville).

Homes Hit

Homes off Via La Mirada were impacted; OCFA reported at least 6 damaged or destroyed. One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion.

Santa Ana Winds

Wind-driven embers can travel a mile or more, OCFA warned. A heat advisory ran into Saturday evening.

Smoke Advisory

South Coast AQMD: air unhealthy for sensitive groups in San Clemente, Dana Point, SJC and Laguna Niguel. Wear an N95 if you must go out.

Schools, Roads, Power

CUSD schools dismissed early, the Ortega Hwy onramp to SB I-5 closed, and about 500 SDG&E customers lost power.

Official Sources

CAL FIRE incident page, ocsheriff.gov/nortefire, public information hotline 714-628-7085. Read our full coverage. Last checked vs official sources: Oct. 17, 5:53 p.m. ET (2:53 p.m. PT).