Firefighters were battling several wildfires in San Diego and Orange counties on Friday, including a large fire on a military installation, amid hot and dry Santa Ana wind conditions that are known to produce devastating wildfires.
From the 2,000-acre Henderson Fire on Camp Pendleton, which shut down Interstate 5 lanes two days in a row, to the Norte Fire in San Clemente, which burned several homes, here’s what to know about our region’s major wildfires.
Henderson Fire on Camp Pendleton
What to KnowAcres: More than 2,000Location: USMC Base Camp PendletonStart time: Thursday at 2 p.m.Current status: I-5 fully reopenedContainment: 20%
A spot fire from the Henderson Fire forced I-5 to be shut down between Vandergrift Boulevard and Basilone Road again around noon Friday as the blaze grew to more than 2,000 acres.
All I-5 lanes were fully reopened by 5:15 p.m., California Highway Patrol of Oceanside said.
The Henderson Fire started around 2 p.m. Thursday and quickly spread amid gusty wind conditions, prompting evacuations of the military base. A temporary evacuation control center was set up at Paige Field House to house the Marines and Sailors displaced due to evacuations in the Las Flores Area, Camp Pendleton said.
Heavy smoke from the fire the also shut down the freeway in both directions for about an hour during the evening commute. Train service between San Diego and Orange counties was also experiencing delays and cancellations due to the blaze. Travelers were urged to check Amtrack for the latest information.
Some on-base areas were forced to evacuate but no evacuations remained on Friday. Several on-base roads were closed, including access through the Las Pulgas Gate to anything other than emergency vehicles. The Camp Pendleton road and gate status website has the latest updates.
The Camp Pendleton Fire Department was working in coordination with Cal Fire and other agencies to battle the blaze. By Friday evening, firefighters had gained 20% containment on the fire.
An active smoke advisory was issued for the southern area of the military base, particularly the communities in South Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista, according to the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District.
Cal Fire is on alert for fires to spread rapidly over the next few days because of Santa Ana winds. They have spend the day getting prepared for what’s to come. NBC 7’s Dana Williams has the story.
What to KnowAcres: Around 500Location: San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano borderStart time: 11:30 a.m. FridayCurrent status: 0% containment
Another fire sparked around 11:30 a.m. in San Clemente Friday and quickly grew to several hundred acres amid Santa Ana winds.
The so-called Norte Fire had scorched more than 500 acres by 8 p.m. and burned at least 6 homes, most of them believed to be near Avenida Calita, Via La Mirada and Via De Agua in San Juan Capistrano.
Evacuation orders were issued across multiple neighborhoods in both cities, spanning from the 5 Freeway to the south, La Pata Avenue to the north, Descanso Park to the west and Foster Ranch to the east. The area includes about 4,600 homes and 16,000 residents, the OCFA Fire Chief TJ McGovern said during an evening news conference.
Scales Fire near Camp Pendleton
What to KnowAcres: 20 Location: San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano borderStart time: 11:30 a.m. FridayCurrent status: 100% containment
Around the same time, another a small fire started near the San Onofre checkpoint around 11:30 a.m.
The fire prompted the evacuation of the campgrounds in San Onofre and forced the shut-down of the train tracks that run between Orange County and San Diego. The Henderson Fire later kept trains from operating on schedule or at all.
The fire scorched about 20 acres by 2 p.m. Firefighters continued to put out hot spots from the Scales Fire until full containment was reached by about 8 p.m.
With Santa Ana winds peaking across the county, NBC 7’s Joe Little spent the day in East County where those winds kicked into high gear.
Santa Ana weather conditions fuel wildfires
Santa Ana conditions across California were elevating fire danger through the weekend.
San Diego County was under a high wind warning for the inland, mountain and foothill areas in San Diego County, along with a heat advisory for coastal areas through Sunday.
Winds were expected to peak Friday and spread west into the inland valleys, NBC 7 Meteorologist Greg Bledsoe said. Relative humidity was down to the teens in some areas and temperatures were above avberage for this time of year.
Bledsoe warned the conditions are ripe to spark and spread wildfires.
“Fire danger is extreme for most inland areas right now,” Bledsoe said Friday.
This is a breaking news story. Details may change as information is released.