A Southern California wildfire that broke out in Orange County on Friday quickly burned hundreds of acres and destroyed multiple homes, county officials announced.
The North Fire started around noon Friday and quickly grew to 465 acres, according to the Orange County Fire Department. It’s one of several fires that have broken out since Thursday amid fierce Santa Ana winds affecting Southern California.
Aerial footage from CNN affiliate KCBS showed multiple homes on fire Friday afternoon. Fire officials said in a social media post that the fire continued to grow and damaged four homes in San Juan Capistrano. Officials urged people to avoid the area.
Evacuation orders were issued for five areas in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, and evacuation advisories were issued for surrounding areas. Orange County fire officials said shelters were set up at community centers in both San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano.
Wind gusts in the area are reaching 35 mph. Winds are expected to remain strong tonight and may begin to weaken in areas close to the coast from around 7pm local time. Santa Ana winds will peak on Friday, remain strong through Saturday, and weaken over the weekend.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
