Firefighters gain ground on California's Norte Fire, letting thousands return home after six coastal homes were burned
Saturday evening saw the lifting of all evacuation orders bar one street in San Clemente, roughly 24 hours after around 16,000 residents had fled. The Norte Fire, fuelled by hot Santa Ana winds, broke out at 11:30am on Friday and surged from 10 acres to over 450 within four hours. Two firefighters needed hospital treatment, and one has since been discharged. The cause remains under investigation.
Mountain bikers on the Las Ramblas trail captured footage of a massive wall of flames.
Robert Morris, a resident since 1995, described the blaze as "a wake-up call."
Governor Gavin Newsom secured an emergency federal FEMA grant to fight the fire.
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