Brush fire threatens million dollar homes in southern California as high winds fan the flames

A wind-driven brush fire in Southern California destroyed million dollar homes and threatened thousands of people. The fast-moving Norte Fire started Friday in San Clemente and was driven into neighboring San Juan Capistrano by warm winds that reached up to 60mph. About 16,000 residents and 6,000 homes were told to evacuate as the blaze threatened to continue spreading overnight, ABC7 reported. The Orange County Fire Authority said Saturday morning that the devastating fire had burned about 570 acres and six large coastal homes. A captain with the Orange County Fire Authority, Steve Concialdi, said the fire being driven by wind made it 'very difficult to contain.' 'The helicopters can only do so much,' Concialdi said. 'The fixed–wing planes that drop retardant, they can only do so much.' Hundreds of firefighters reported to the hills of southern Orange County, about one hour south of Los Angeles, to fight the blaze. Two firefighters were injured and hospitalized, with one suffering from heat exhaustion. As of Saturday night, conditions had improved and all evacuation orders had been lifted except for one road. As of Saturday, the wind-driven Norte Fire in Orange County had destroyed six coastal homes, according to local authorities The blaze started Friday in San Clemente and spread into San Juan Capistrano because of warm and gusty Santa Ana winds The brush fire caused about 16,000 residents and 6,000 homes to receive evacuation orders Fire authorities said that the Norte Fire being wind-driven made it tougher to contain Two firefighters were hospitalized fighting the fire. One of them was suffering with heat exhaustion Andy Auerbach, who lives on Calle Miramar in San Juan Capistrano, depicted the anxiety that the fire brought on the coastal enclaves. 'It's a lot [of] embers that are blowing into the yard starting little fires and so we're just trying to play whack–a–mole,' Auerbach told the outlet. 'Any little hotspot that emerges we're trying to put it out.' The winds that caused the fire to spread are known as Santa Ana winds, which carry dry air toward the coast. It was in the high 90s. Zachary Torgesson evacuated his home of 16 years and sought shelter at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center. Torgesson told the outlet that he was 'just leaving it all to God' as the blaze threatened his residence. Another resident of the area, 51-year-old Susan Kannakko, described how the fire came suddenly towards her house in San Clemente. The fire began around 11.33am Friday in the area of Portico Del Norte in San Clemente. A cause is still being investigated. 'It was like out of a movie, when the spaceship comes in, and everything goes black,' Kannakko, who lives on Calle Delgado, told the LA Times . Residents in the Southern California enclaves described the dangerous blaze suddenly descending upon them to start the weekend The Santa Ana winds that caused the Norte Fire to spread through the ritzy Orange County cities reached speeds up to 60 mph The fire broke out shortly after 11.30pm on Friday in the area of Portico Del Norte in San Clemente Kannakko described black smoke 'billowing in' and seeing embers around her home. 'We thought we were gonna lose everything,' she told the outlet. 'All I could see was flames left, right, and to the sky.' One of her housemates, Luke Falanga, said the sun suddenly 'changed color' as the fire approached. 'I thought it was an eclipse,' Falanga, 30, said. 'It was the smoke.' Photos of the aftermath of the fire showed palm tree-lined homes now looking completely charred. Smoke and embers rose from the ritzy properties despite firefighters' best efforts to contain the flames. Another local, Robert Morris, called the fire a 'wake–up call.' 'I've lived here since 1995, and this is the first time we've really ever had a fire in this area,' Morris told CBS LA . So far, the Norte Fire has burned down about 570 acres. The blaze is one of 10 wildfires that have not been contained in California As of Saturday night, the Norte Fire was 25 percent contained. All evacuation orders, except for one road, had been lifted However, locals can expect to see fire crews stay on site for days to ensure that a 'rekindle' of the blaze does not occur Concialdi, the fire captain, told reporters Saturday morning that he expected the containment to increase 'dramatically' throughout the day. As of Saturday night, the Norte Fire was 25 percent contained. He said one of the firefighters hospitalized had been released, and described the other as doing 'very good.' Concialdi has noted that fire crews will remain on site for 'a number of days' even with the evacuation orders now lifted. 'We don't want a rekindle,' Concialdi said, pointing to the Santa Ana winds. 'Right now, because there are some embers, there are some hot spots, we don't want those embers to then catch a palm tree or some vegetation in another area or next to homes,' he added. The Norte Fire is one of 10 wildfires that have not been contained in California, according to the state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The closest fires are the Peak Fire, which started in Azusa, and the Bryson Fire in Malibu.