Norte Fire Containment Climbs to 60 Percent as Capistrano Schools Reopen and Rain Threatens the Burn Scar
Crews pushed containment from 25 percent on Saturday evening to 60 percent by Sunday evening while the fire held at 570 acres. The damage count rose to seven homes, and all Capistrano Unified campuses return to regular schedules on Monday.
Containment of the Norte Fire reached 60 percent on Sunday evening, up from the 25 percent reported on Saturday evening when evacuation orders were lifted, while the burned area held at 570 acres, the Orange County Fire Authority reported. The Weather Channel, summarizing the fire on Monday morning, likewise put the 570 acre fire at 60 percent contained as of Sunday and counted at least seven damaged structures.
The improvement came in stages during Sunday. The fire authority reported 50 percent containment earlier in the day, according to the Orange County Department of Education's running digest of the fire, and by 8:30 p.m. the authority put containment at 60 percent. A total of 467 firefighters remained assigned to the incident on Sunday, strengthening containment lines and extinguishing hot spots.
Damage assessments raised the toll on homes. Fire authority updates now count seven homes damaged or destroyed, up from the six reported earlier in the weekend. About 16,000 people were forced to evacuate over the weekend at the fire's peak. The two firefighters taken to hospitals on Friday with heat related injuries were later reported to be recovering.
Schools reopen on Monday. Every Capistrano Unified campus goes back to its regular schedule on Monday, Oct. 19, after the precautionary early dismissals on Friday, the district confirmed on Sunday morning. The district cited the lifted evacuation orders, improving weather and good air quality in the fire area, and said air filters are being replaced at the campuses the fire affected before students and staff return.
Two closures remain in force even though residents are home. Via La Mirada stays closed to vehicle traffic north of Esperanza so that emergency crews can keep working, and the burn scar remains shut until further notice because it is still an active fire hazard area, Cal Fire states on its incident page. Cal Fire lists the fire's cause as under investigation, its start at 11:33 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 16, near Portico Del Norte and Eminencia Del Norte in San Clemente, and the Orange County Fire Authority as the agency with jurisdiction over the incident.
The week's next hazard is water, not wind. Intense rainfall later this week could bring debris flows and mudslides around the fresh burn scar, The Weather Channel warned on Monday. Its Laguna Beach forecast calls for showers on Wednesday, turning to rain and possible thunder on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
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