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A fire has burned at least 465 acres near the county Prima Deschecha landfill on Friday as of 4:22 pm amid high winds on Friday morning, prompting evacuation orders in the surrounding San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano neighborhoods. 

Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for San Juan Zones 4, 5, and 10, alongside neighboring San Clemente Zones 12 and 13 according to social media posts from the OC Fire Authority, who also noted structures are threatened. 

For a map of the evacuation zones, click here. 

That covers a slate of neighborhoods in north San Clemente and southeast San Juan Capistrano, near stretches of Ortega Highway and west of Camino de Los Mares under evacuation orders. 

Evacuation centers are open at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center 25925 Camino del Avion, San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente Community Center 100 Calle Seville, San Clemente. 

Nine schools have gone into early dismissal and are asking parents to pick up their children immediately according to the OC Department of Education, including Bernice Ayer Middle School, Clarence Lobo Elementary School, Concordia Elementary School, Harold Ambuehl Elementary School, San Clemente High School, San Juan Hills High School, Shorecliffs Middle School, Truman Benedict Elementary School and Vista Del Mar. 

As of 4:22 pm, OC Fire Authority announced six homes had been “damaged or destroyed,” by the fire, noting the blaze was still at over 450 acres.  

The blaze, dubbed the Norte Fire, was first reported at around 11:30 in the area of Portico Del Norte according to the Orange County Fire Authority, a street in San Clemente near the landfill. 

In an hour, it spread from roughly 10 acres to over 250 acres according to the OC Fire Authority, fueled by dry brush and Santa Ana winds which are expected to subside overnight.

The weather in San Juan Capistrano this afternoon is “Sunny, with a high near 94. Breezy, with an east wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph,” according to the National Weather Service. 

The Prima Deshecha Landfill has been closed to the public according to Francine Bangert, a spokesperson for OC Waste and Recycling, who also noted they’ve given access to the facility over to firefighters. 

Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.