SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A fast-moving fire burned several homes in Southern California as hot, windy weather gripped the region Friday, prompting evacuations and power outages. Television footage on KTLA showed several homes on fire in San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, with flames engulfing them.
Aerial footage from television crews showed firefighters dousing two-story suburban homes with flames shooting from their roofs. Black smoke billowed from tennis courts and swimming pools.
The wildfire started in the coastal town of San Clemente and quickly spread to San Juan Capistrano. It is one of several fires that have ravaged the region and have been hit by dry, hot and gusty northeast winds known as Santa Anaswhich would blow from southern California’s interior toward the coast and offshore, were predicted. The strongest winds were expected until Friday afternoon.
The fires prompted evacuations and tens of thousands of people in the state were left without power after the power was cut off.
The towns are in southern Orange County, near the coast and surrounded by rolling hills. San Juan Capistrano, a town of 35,000, is known for its equestrian trails, while San Clemente, home to 62,000, is known as a “Spanish village by the sea” and popular with beachgoers and surfers.
San Clemente City Council member Victor Cabral said firefighters told him four homes burned in the nearby town of San Juan Capistrano.
Schools were closed and activities canceled, and thousands of people were asked to evacuate, he said.
“The fire is right in the heart of the city,” he said. “It’s on the perimeter of our homes on the north end.”
Authorities have opened a community center offering camp beds, food and water for those who need it, he said.
Orange County firefighters said two evacuation shelters had been opened, one in each city, and asked people under evacuation orders to “leave now.”
A fire in Malibu, a coastal city west of Los Angeles, has triggered evacuation orders and warnings for much of the Santa Monica Mountains. A large cloud of black smoke above the hilltops could be seen on cameras nearby and miles away.
Winds of 20 mph to 35 mph (32 km/h to 56 km/h) were expected Friday, with gusts expected to reach 50 mph up to 70 mph (80 km/h to 112 km/h) in some areas, the National Weather Service said.
With humidity levels dropping, “this will promote a critical fire threat,” the service said Friday morning.
More than 400 firefighters battled the 250-acre (100-hectare) Bryson Fire overnight Friday morning. He had threatened a Los Angeles County juvenile detention and rehabilitation center, which was evacuated Thursday evening.
The most critical fire conditions will continue through Friday afternoon, when the strongest and longest-lasting winds are expected, said Kevin McGowan, director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management. Weather conditions increasing the risk of fire are expected to continue until Saturday evening.
“High winds and very dry conditions will continue to cause fires to spread rapidly, which is why we urge everyone to remain vigilant,” he said.
Santa Ana winds hit Southern California
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who has been criticized for her city’s response to deadly fires in 2025, ordered firefighters to deploy personnel and equipment ahead of the winds. Firefighters also requested assistance from the state Office of Emergency Services.
“This is a pretty widespread high-weather fire event, so the whole California region should really be on alert,” said Rose Schoenfeld, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
THE Santa Anas could reach 20 to 40 mph (32 to 64 kph), with gusts of 50 to 70 mph (80 to 113 kph), in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County and the Santa Susana Mountains, which are primarily in Ventura County, Schoenfeld said. High, albeit brief, critical fire weather conditions were also forecast for parts of the Santa Lucia Mountains in San Luis Obispo County.
Firefighters battle multiple blazes in Southern California
In Orange County, a wind-driven fire that started in the hills of the coastal town of San Clemente quickly grew to 200 acres (81 hectares), prompting evacuations in San Clemente and the neighboring town of San Juan Capistrano, where several homes were on fire.
Firefighters worked Friday to contain two other fires that broke out Thursday afternoon and triggered evacuation orders in the town of Azusa, north of Los Angeles, and Camp Pendleton, near San Diego.
More than 175,000 customers in Northern, Central and Southern California were without power Friday, according to poweroutage.com.
Some of the Californians worst forest fires have been triggered by electrical equipment, and in recent years, utilities have begun proactively shutting off power during dry, windy weather to prevent fires.
A wind-driven fire in Azusa burned more than 40 acres (16 hectares) Thursday and briefly triggered evacuation orders for a neighborhood in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The progression of the fire was stopped by mid-afternoon.
Farther south, a fire at Camp Pendleton threatened buildings. Evacuation orders were issued in the Las Flores area of the military base and lifted in the evening, military officials said in a statement.
Power outages widespread in Northern California
In Northern California, some communities in the Sierra Nevada and its foothills began experiencing high winds, high temperatures and low humidity Wednesday evening.
The weather service issued a red flag warning for parts of central and northern California through Friday morning, saying any fires would spread quickly. Such warnings are issued when weather conditions create an increased risk of wildfires.
The potential power outage for customers from the Central Coast to the upper reaches of the Sierra Nevada could last until Saturday afternoon, Pacific Gas and Electric Company said.
Hot and windy conditions are expected throughout the weekend
In Southern California, the red flag warning for mountainous areas of Ventura and Los Angeles counties was in effect through Friday evening.
In January 2025, the Palisades fire – fanned by Santa Ana winds – ravaged a hillside Los Angeles neighborhood, killing 12 people and destroying homes with spectacular ocean views. Authorities determined the Palisades Fire was a legacy of another fire that officials said was started intentionally by a 29 year old man.
Another fire burning at the same time in the Los Angeles County town of Altadena killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 homes and businesses. This fire was caused by sparks from an inactive transmission tower owned by Southern California Edison, officials said.
Schoenfeld said Santa Ana winds won’t be as strong as during those fires, when they gusted between 60 and 100 mph.
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Ding reported from Los Angeles.
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