OCFA reports Norte Fire damaged or destroyed six Orange County homes

The Orange County Fire Authority reported that the Norte Fire damaged or destroyed six homes in Orange County. By about 8 a.m. Saturday, the fire had burned 570 acres near San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano and was 5% contained, according to the New York Post’s report citing fire authorities. The fire began in the San Clemente area around 11:30 a.m.

Friday, the Orange County Fire Authority and Cal Fire said, and reached 465 acres roughly three hours later. The New York Post reported that the blaze continued growing overnight. Its account places the reported home damage within a fire that had spread across areas near San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano.

Evacuations continued overnight while firefighters worked to improve containment and extinguish hot spots. The New York Post reported that evacuation orders remained in place Saturday for San Juan Capistrano Zones 4, 5 and 10, along with San Clemente Zones 12 and 13.

The headline from CBS News also reported destroyed homes and continuing evacuations; KTLA’s headline described a 570-acre fire and said evacuations had been ordered. The reports describe different stages of the fire’s growth rather than competing final acreage estimates.

The New York Post gives a 465-acre estimate about three hours after the fire began and a 570-acre figure by Saturday morning. Findarticles.com’s excerpt recounts estimates of about 250 acres at 2 p.m., at least 450 acres later Friday, and 465 acres in a CBS News report. Those figures refer to successive reports during the fire’s spread.

The accounts also report injuries to firefighters. The New York Post said one firefighter suffered heat exhaustion and another was injured; findarticles.com reported one firefighter injured. Neither account identifies the injured firefighters or provides a combined injury total beyond those descriptions. The New York Post said no other injuries were reported.

Findarticles.com reported that strong Santa Ana winds and heat helped drive flames toward homes, and described firefighters working from the ground and air. It also relayed that officials believed crews had knocked down most of the fire by 5:45 p.m. Friday.

Those details sit alongside the New York Post’s account that the fire expanded overnight and remained only 5% contained by Saturday morning. The immediate stakes are the six homes reported damaged or destroyed, the continuing evacuation orders in the named zones, and the fire’s reported 570-acre footprint.

The reported containment level and overnight firefighting work indicate that crews were still addressing the blaze as evacuation orders remained in place Saturday.