Norte Fire Was Caused By Utility Company's Equipment Failure, Lawsuit Says

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — A new lawsuit claims the devastating Norte Fire — which charred over 500 acres of south Orange County land and destroyed homes — was caused by a utility company's equipment failure.

Bridgford Law filed a complaint on Monday on behalf of a San Juan Capistrano resident who had to evacuate their home because of the fire, ABC7 reported.

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The firm, which specializes in wildfire cases, said San Diego Gas & Electric reported an outage on its website at 11:31 a.m. Friday on circuit 197, northwest of Eminencia Del Norte in San Clemente.

Two minutes later, Orange County firefighters received word of flames igniting near Portico del Norte in San Clemente.

RELATED: Start Of Norte Fire Under Investigation As OC Fire Crews Near Full Containment

According to ABC7, San Diego Gas & Electric's equipment is within 100 to 200 feet of Cal Fire's approximate ignition site.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

"Our investigation is underway. We won't have any information until it's actually completed," Orange County Fire Authority spokesperson Capt. Sean Doran told Patch. "Some of the investigations go on for months — there are so many variables in the investigation that it would be impossible for me to even guess."

The blaze was first reported at 11:33 a.m. Friday by hikers on the scene in the area of Portico del Norte in San Clemente, Orange County firefighters told ABC7 during a livestreamed broadcast.

Driven by fierce Santa Ana winds, it grew to 250 acres within an hour and destroyed or damaged seven homes. The wildfire charred 570-acres of land.

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 under evacuation orders.

The blaze ultimately destroyed or damaged six homes, firefighters said.

By Tuesday, Orange County firefighters had managed to reach 90 percent containment of the fire.

OCFA Capt. Steve Concialdi said over the weekend that 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."

City News Service contributed to this report.