Norte Fire explodes to 570 acres, 6 homes confirmed damaged or destroyed

LATEST Oct. 16, 7:55 p.m.The wind-driven Norte Fire in Orange County has grown to 570 acres as of 7:28 p.m., according to the latest update from Cal Fire. 

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The blaze is zero percent contained.

Several evacuation orders are still in place, and the Capistrano Unified School District has dismissed its students early and canceled its after-school programs. 

According to Cal Fire, at least four homes off Via La Mirada in San Juan Capistrano have been affected by the blaze. 

Officials have not announced any Interstate 5 closures because of the Norte Fire. However, aerial footage from KTTV-TV and the outlet’s live traffic updates show gridlock traffic on the highway near the fire. 

The Henderson Fire, which ignited Thursday afternoon near Camp Pendleton to the south, is also continuing to burn amid the dry air and fierce Santa Ana winds. The fire has exploded to more than 2,000 acres on Friday and prompted a partial closure of Interstate 5 in both directions near Basilone Road.

Oct. 16, 4:45 p.m. Six homes have been confirmed damaged or destroyed by the Norte Fire burning in Orange County, Mark Backoff, a fire chief with the Orange County Fire Authority, said in a Friday afternoon video update. 

One person has been reported injured in the blaze, a firefighter who experienced heat exhaustion, he said.

The fire is still mapped at 465 acres with no containment, according to Cal Fire. 

Oct. 16, 2:17 p.m.A brush fire is rapidly burning in Orange County on Friday afternoon, prompting evacuations as the flames have reportedly reached some homes. 

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Evacuation orders are in place for San Juan Zones 4, 5, and 10 and San Clemente Zone 12. If you are in one of these zones, leave immediately.

#NorteFire https://t.co/OQ7KckLMp8

— OCFA (@OCFireAuthority) October 16, 2026

The Norte Fire, located between San Clemente and neighboring San Juan Capistrano, ignited just after 11:30 a.m. and has reached 250 acres with no containment, according to Cal Fire. Evacuations have been ordered for several areas near the blaze, including hills filled with single-family homes that reach all the way down to Interstate 5, and the latest evacuation information can be found here.

Aerial footage from local news outlets, including CBS LA, shows several hillside homes that appear to be engulfed in flames. Social media videos also show thick clouds of smoke and flames near homes in the area of San Juan Capistrano.

Rick Loeffler, the mayor of San Clemente, told KNBC-TV on its live broadcast that “at least eight homes” are on fire along the ridgeline at the edge of San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, per information given to him by city manager Andy Hall. “This is starting unfortunately to look very much like the Palisades situation,” Loeffler said, referring to the 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles County that destroyed more than 6,800 structures and killed 12 people.

The fire is at 50 acres at this time. Structures are threatened. Crews are aggressively attacking the fire from the ground and air. Please continue to avoid the area.

#NorteFire https://t.co/RuL84P4QZk

— OCFA (@OCFireAuthority) October 16, 2026

According to a post on X from the Orange County Fire Authority, the agency with jurisdiction over the blaze, there are structures threatened by the fire. The agency did not confirm how many structures or homes are threatened as of Friday afternoon.

Farley Elliott, SFGATE’s Southern California bureau chief, contributed to this report.