Norte Fire evacuation orders lifted: residents allowed back as containment reaches 25%
All Norte Fire evacuation orders in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano were lifted at 6 p.m. Pacific time on Saturday, October 17, about 30 hours after the wind-driven blaze began near Portico Del Norte in San Clemente. The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) said the 570-acre fire was 25% contained by then, up from 5% that morning. Thousands of residents who had been told to leave on Friday could go home, although some roads and the burned area remained closed.
How the Norte Fire evacuation orders were lifted in stages
Authorities did not reopen the neighborhoods all at once. On Saturday afternoon, the OCFA and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said residents of San Clemente Zone 13 could return, and San Juan Capistrano Zone 10 was partly reopened. That partial reopening cove...