Southern California braces for more Santa Ana winds as fire destroys homes in Orange County

Iris Kwok, Ruben Vives, Karen Garcia and Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times on Oct 17, 2026

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LOS ANGELES — Firefighters are bracing for another day of Santa Ana winds and extreme temperatures as they continue to battle a blaze that destroyed six homes in south Orange County.

The Norte fire, which has burned more than 570 acres in the area of San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, remained at 5% containment as of Saturday morning, according to Orange County Fire Authority Fire spokesperson Greg Barta. About 6,000 homes, and 16,000 residents, remain under an evacuation order.

“Our current objective is keeping the fire within its current footprint,” he said.

Firefighters were also dealing with fires on Camp Pendleton and in Malibu.

A red flag warning, indicating potentially hazardous fire weather, will remain in place through Saturday evening for many parts of Southern California. But forecasters say the most dangerous conditions could be behind us.

“In terms of winds, right now is the peak,” Chandler Price, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service San Diego office, said on Friday afternoon. “And then winds will gradually decrease early Saturday morning into the afternoon before finally calming.”

Last weekend, south Orange County received about an inch to an inch and a half of rainfall, but vegetation didn’t have enough time to absorb the moisture. Combined with low humidity, the dry vegetation is catching fire more easily and supported the Norte fire’s rapid spread early on.

The fire burned intensely through grass and chaparral, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources climate scientist Daniel Swain said Friday afternoon.

“We were talking about how the fire risk here was somewhat less, at least than it was in some other parts of Southern California where the rain had not occurred as recently,” Swain said in a livestream on YouTube. “But in this case, clearly the conditions have already dried out enough for significant, relatively high-intensity fire spread.”

Swain said this Santa Ana wind event doesn’t compare to those that fanned the flames of the Palisades and Eaton fires.

“It did rain last week, but it is still dry enough and windy enough for this to be a problem,” he said.

Officials are prepping for more potential fires Saturday.

The Los Angeles Fire Department has extended red flag parking restrictions in the city through Sunday morning.

The restrictions are intended to keep parked vehicles out of the roadway, providing access for first responders and people trying to evacuate in the event of a fire.

The Norte fire is burning in a hilly area in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, fueled by intense winds.

It moved so rapidly that some people had to flee with what they could quickly grab.

Linda Verraster was on the deck behind her home in San Clemente, just south of the evacuation zone, on Friday afternoon, watching for signs it might be time to leave.

Temperatures in the area were in the mid-90s and winds howled with gusts of up to 35 mph, a less-than-ideal situation for firefighters.

Verraster had already filled her cars with gas and began preparing what she would grab if the fire kept growing.

“We’re watching the wind. I’m getting my cat carriers ready just in case,” she said. “It’s not great.”

San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler said his city has been preparing ahead of fire season, deploying goats to chomp at brush on hillsides and ensuring a steady water supply is available for crews and helicopters.

“We’ve been cognizant of what can happen in the coastal city with canyons and Santa Ana winds,” he said. “So we’ve been working really hard to prepare ourselves as best we can.”

Loeffler encouraged people not under an evacuation order to stay home so the roads are clear for first responders.

“We want to be able to have the people that have to evacuate, and our public safety partners be able to get around the city. So the less traffic on our streets, the better. Hunker down, and I think we’re going to be OK,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., said his family was among those evacuated from their home due to the Norte fire.

“This is an incredible community, and I cannot tell you how grateful my wife and my mom and our two kids are ... for all the firefighters who worked hard today and every day. For all the sheriffs, for all the first responders. You saved our entire neighborhood today.”

Raj Shankara, his wife and two young kids were waiting for a rideshare in downtown San Clemente shortly before 8:30 p.m. The evacuation warning for their Capistrano Beach home was lifted, so they were headed home.

Shankara, who works at J.P. Morgan Wealth Management, said his branch in San Juan Capistrano was forced to evacuate. The traffic on the way out was a “nightmare,” he said.

“I was scared at first, and then once we got out of the neighborhood, I knew we were safe,” Shankara said. His family spent the rest of the afternoon at the mall in Mission Viejo.

Firefighters in Malibu are still dealing with a fire that broke out Thursday.

Containment on the Bryson fire, which has scorched 147 acres near Encinal Canyon Road since igniting, increased to 39% Friday evening, according to officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.