Homes Destroyed, Thousands Flee As Fires Burn Across CA: See All The Wildfires Burning

Three major wildfires fueled by fierce Santa Ana winds have burned nearly 4,000 acres across Southern California, destroying homes, forcing thousands of people to evacuate and injuring firefighters as crews battle wind-driven flames in triple-digit heat.

The Norte Fire in Orange County, Henderson Fire at Camp Pendleton and Bryson Fire in Malibu have all erupted since Thursday, threatening neighborhoods, military facilities, and forcing major freeway shutdowns.

As of Saturday morning, the three fires had collectively burned 3,849 acres. The largest, the Henderson Fire, had scorched more than 3,100 acres, while the Norte Fire had destroyed or damaged six multimillion-dollar homes and forced approximately 16,000 residents to evacuate.

Firefighters continued working to strengthen containment lines Saturday as dry vegetation, rugged terrain and gusty winds complicated their efforts.

Norte Fire: Homes Destroyed, Thousands Evacuated In Orange County

A fast-moving wildfire that tore through residential neighborhoods in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano has damaged or destroyed six homes, forced thousands of residents to flee and injured two firefighters.

The Norte Fire erupted around 11:30 a.m. Friday near Portico Del Norte in San Clemente. Fueled by Santa Ana winds, it exploded to 250 acres within about an hour.

By Saturday morning, the blaze had burned 570 acres and was 5% contained, according to Cal Fire.

Approximately 6,000 homes and 16,000 residents were placed under evacuation orders, according to San Clemente Chief of Police Services Justin Chevalier.

Homes burned in the areas of Avenida Calita, Via La Mirada and Via De Agua in San Juan Capistrano. Video from the scene showed flames consuming rooftops as firefighters worked to protect surrounding properties.

Orange County Fire Authority Division Three Fire Chief Mark Backhoff confirmed that six homes had been damaged or destroyed.

"Our hearts go out to the folks impacted by that," he said.

Fire officials said two firefighters were hospitalized with heat-related injuries.

Although fire activity diminished Friday evening, firefighters continued battling flames overnight and strengthening containment lines to protect nearby neighborhoods.

Evacuation orders remained in effect Saturday for zones SCL12, SCL13, SJC04, SJC05 and SJC10.

Evacuation centers were established at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, San Clemente Community Center and Boys & Girls Club at 1 Via Positiva in San Juan Capistrano.

California also secured a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant to help provide additional resources for the firefighting effort.

The fire's cause remains under investigation.

Henderson Fire: More Than 3,100 Acres Burn At Camp Pendleton

The Henderson Fire has scorched 3,132 acres at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in northern San Diego County, forcing evacuations and repeatedly shutting down portions of Interstate 5.

The blaze, which began Thursday afternoon near Henderson and Brown streets, was 35% contained as of Saturday morning, according to Cal Fire.

One structure has been destroyed.

The fire spread rapidly on Thursday, reaching more than 1,400 acres by evening and threatening populated areas of the military installation.

Authorities issued evacuation orders for parts of Camp Pendleton, with temporary evacuation centers at Paige Field House and the 21 Area Fitness Center.

Flames and heavy smoke also created dangerous conditions along Interstate 5, forcing authorities to close the highway in both directions multiple times.

On Friday, flames burned on both sides of the freeway, prompting another closure between Vandegrift Boulevard and Basilone Road.

The highway reopened in both directions Friday evening.

Firefighters faced difficult conditions as the blaze moved through rugged terrain and crossed containment lines along its northwestern edge.

By Saturday morning, crews had made progress building containment lines and extinguishing hot spots. Fire officials said decreasing winds and improving humidity had helped moderate fire activity overnight.

However, extremely dry vegetation continued to pose a threat.

More than 650 personnel were assigned to the fire, supported by helicopters, engines, bulldozers and other equipment.

The cause remains under investigation.

Bryson Fire: Firefighter Injured, Thousands Of Structures Threatened In Malibu

A wildfire that raced through rugged terrain in Malibu has burned 147 acres, injured a firefighter and prompted evacuations across portions of the coastal community still scarred by recent wildfires.

The Bryson Fire began shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday near Campus Vernon Kilpatrick on Encinal Canyon Road, west of Mulholland Highway.

The blaze was 52% contained by Saturday morning, according to Cal Fire.

Although no structures had been damaged or destroyed as of Friday morning, officials said 7,221 structures remained threatened Friday evening.

The fire erupted amid powerful Santa Ana winds that prompted red flag warnings across much of Southern California.

Evacuation orders were issued for areas including Zuma and Trancas canyons, while warnings covered a broader stretch of western Malibu.

The fire also forced the evacuation of 38 female and gender-expansive youths from Campus Vernon Kilpatrick, a juvenile detention facility. They were relocated to Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar.

More than 720 firefighters and other personnel were assigned to the blaze, supported by engines, helicopters and firefighting aircraft.

Southern California Edison's precautionary power shutoffs left portions of Malibu without electricity, creating additional challenges for residents trying to receive emergency updates.

City officials coordinated mobile cellular equipment, emergency generators and a community resource center to help residents affected by the outages.

Evacuation shelters were established at Agoura High School, while separate facilities were opened for pets and large animals.

Road closures remained in effect at several intersections near the fire, including Decker Road at Encinal Canyon Road and Kanan Road at Mulholland Highway.

The cause of the Bryson Fire remains under investigation.

Other Active Wildfires In California

In addition to the three major Southern California blazes, Cal Fire listed several other active wildfires across the state Saturday. The following figures reflect the agency's available incident dashboard updates.

Timber Fire — Monterey County

• 25,352 acres burned
• 97% contained
• Started Aug. 8

Dome Fire — Mariposa County

• 6,788 acres burned
• 95% contained
• Started Sept. 15

Cyrus Fire — Kern County

• 543 acres burned
• 95% contained
• Started Oct. 9

Surgone Fire — Humboldt County

• 64 acres burned
• 75% contained
• Started Oct. 11

Peak Fire — Los Angeles County

• 43 acres burned
• 41% contained
• Started Oct. 15

Cooley Fire — Mendocino County

• 40 acres burned
• 0% contained
• Started Oct. 16

Marshall Fire — Humboldt County

• 12 acres burned
• 85% contained
• Started Oct. 11

Fire conditions and containment figures can change rapidly. Residents can find updated fire perimeters, evacuation information and containment figures through Cal Fire's incident tracking system.

City News Service contributed to this report.