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

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — Orange County firefighters battled over the weekend containing flames from a fast-moving brush fire that destroyed several south Orange County homes and charred up more than 500 acres.

While fire crews neared full containment of the Norte Fire on Monday, questions turned to what sparked the blaze, especially in light of a sudden utility outage confirmed in the same area where the fire began.

According to The Orange County Register, San Diego Gas & Electric equipment experienced an outage near the origin of the Norte fire in San Clemente two minutes before the inferno broke out.

"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."

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

While San Diego Gas & Electric equipment confirmed the outage to the newspaper on Saturday, no immediate details were given regarding location, time, the circuit or the exact location of the outage.

However, the newspaper reported that in an online post — captured by screen grab — SDG&E distribution line Circuit 197 sustained an outage at 11:31 a.m. close to the origin point of the wind-fueled fire.

No connection between the outage and the fire was immediately confirmed by the Orange County Fire Authority.

RELATED: Priceless Family Heirlooms Saved By OC Firefighters Amid Norte Fire Destruction

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.

When the flames ignited, local firefighters weren't the only ones who leapt to action.

Local resident Justin Ziegler and his dad told ABC7 that they spotted the fire's flames from a distance and immediately began helping families within the several evacuation zones.

Ziegler told ABC7 that he and his dad urged one family to leave while they were still scrambling to get last-minute items from their home.

"The kid didn't want to move. He was kinda staring out the doorway of what looked like a hellscape," Ziegler told ABC7. "Just his world on fire. I helped kinda guide the kid along and help get them in their car. She dropped some of her things on the ground and I helped her pick them up, shoved them in the car and we took off."

On the Las Ramblas Trail in San Juan Capistrano, mountain bikers had a terrifying encounter with the flames.

Video footage from the group biking in the area of the Norte Fire showed a towering fireball approaching a hill along the trail.

In the video, one cyclist is seen in the distance at the crest of the hill as flames and plumesof black smoke billow into the sky.

According to the California Post, the video was posted by a local couple who said the fire spread across the trail in seconds.

“Today, God was with us!!!! The fire spread so quickly!!!! My friend was able to catch a glimpse of our crossing, before her meta glasses turned off. Both exits were just as bad. The heat on our faces was terrifying. Fires spreading fast, making it difficult to breathe and see. Thankful we made it out," the couple wrote on Instagram.