Southern California wildfire burns structures as winds pick up | Today’s news
(Bloomberg) — A fast-moving wildfire in Orange County burned buildings and forced evacuations Friday as strong winds in Santa Ana fueled growing blaze outbreaks across Southern California.
The Norte Fire in San Clemente broke out Friday, prompting evacuation orders and burning 250 acres (101 hectares) as of 2 p.m. local time. Live footage from KABC showed the fire burning buildings and threatening nearby homes.
The San Juan Capistrano School District sports and after school programs were canceled, the district said on social media, and a number of schools were dismissed early Friday.
Meanwhile, at least one firefighter has been injured and hundreds more are trying to contain the Malibu blaze before dangerous winds pick up again on Friday.
The Bryson Fire in Los Angeles County is one of several fires that have broken out in Southern California. Bryson had burned just 147 acres as of 10:39 a.m. local time Friday.
But with more than 7,200 structures at risk and only 17% of the perimeter under control, county officials said at a briefing Friday that they were preparing a major response before the multi-day storm in Santa Ana causes conditions to deteriorate further.
Gusts near the trail of the Bryson Fire could reach 60 miles (97 kilometers) per hour by Friday afternoon, according to the U.S. National Weather Service. At higher elevations over the San Gabriel Mountains, winds can reach speeds of up to 80 mph.
“This morning through this afternoon is our most critical period during this red flag event,” said Kevin McGowan, director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management. “High winds and very dry conditions will continue to cause the fire to begin to spread rapidly.”
The Bryson Fire is located within 10 miles of large burn scars left in recent years. The fast-moving Franklin Fire destroyed 20 structures around Malibu just before Christmas 2024. A few weeks later, in early January 2025, the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires killed 31 people and caused billions in damage in the region.
Although Santa Ana winds have also fueled those fires, Weather Service forecaster Rich Thompson said current fire conditions in Southern California are not nearly as severe. Some areas have recently received rain, which may limit the fire’s spread.
Before the 2025 fires, “it didn’t rain for months,” Thompson said. “It’s not the same level at all, although it’s still very concerning.”
As of Friday morning, more than 400 personnel were deployed to fight the fire in Malibu. One of them was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.
The largest fire active in Southern California is the Henderson Fire in San Diego County, near Camp Pendleton. As of midday Friday, nearly 2,100 acres had burned, with the fire 0% contained. The fire required the closure of the northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 5, according to the California Department of Transportation.
In an effort to prevent new fires, PG&E Corp. and Southern California’s Edison International — two of California’s largest electricity providers — shut down circuits serving tens of thousands of customers this week. Edison shut off power to more than 135,000 customers as of 2:30 p.m. local time.
Edison said restoration work could begin as early as Saturday.
–With assistance from Sarah Gray, Julia Amann and Brian Eckhouse.
More such stories are available at bloomberg.com
