Evacuation orders as fast-moving California wildfire burns homes

California wildfire engulfs homes, prompts evacuation orders

The full report

A fast-spreading wildfire in Orange County, in Southern California, has engulfed several coastal properties and prompted widespread evacuation orders. The Orange County Fire Authority said that the Norte Fire had scorched about 188 hectares (465 acres), with the state's Cal Fire agency putting it at about 231 hectares (570 acres) by the evening.

At least six homes had been damaged or destroyed in the San Juan Capistrano area, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. Firefighters were 'aggressively attacking the fire from the ground and air' and issued pleas for people to stay clear of the area.

Unseasonably high temperatures and low humidity are fuelling the rapid growth of the fire, the AFP news agency reported. The Norte Fire started in the coastal city of San Clemente on Friday and moved to the city of San Juan Capistrano, with some 6,000 homes and 16,000 residents under evacuation orders by the evening.

An evacuation shelter has opened in each city while helicopters attempt to douse the flames. The Norte Fire is one of several in the region driven by Santa Ana winds, intense warm gusts that blow from the southwest US interior towards the California coast.

The Santa Ana winds typically arrive in the autumn, right when Southern California's vegetation is at its driest after a long, rainless summer, according to The Weather Channel. Forecasters said winds blew at between 55km/h and 90km/h (35mph and 55mph) within coastal areas.

The strongest winds were expected through Friday, but the high heat and low humidity conditions that contribute to the growth of the fire are expected to last through Saturday night. Tens of thousands of people in Los Angeles County were left without power as authorities attempted to lessen the possibility of electrical sparks that the heavy wind gusts could carry.