Complaint alleges destructive Norte Fire that burned homes in San Clemente was caused by San Diego Gas & Electric equipment failure

Sunday, October 18, 2026 4:47PMWhen the Norte Fire broke out in Orange County Friday morning, many neighbors jumped into action to help each other. KABCSAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (KABC) -- When the Norte Fire broke out in Orange County Friday morning, Justin Ziegler and his dad spotted the flames from a distance. When they saw it getting closer to homes, they jumped into action. "It looks like a scene from a movie. There's just fire everywhere," Ziegler said. He and his dad urged one family to leave who were still scrambling to get last-minute items from their home. "The kid didn't want to move. He was kinda staring out the doorway of what looked like a hellscape. Just his world on fire. I helped kinda guide the kid along and helped get them in their car. She dropped some of her things on the ground and I helped her pick them up, shoved them in the car and we took off. "That same neighbor shared an image of the raging fire encroaching on her backyard before escaping danger with Ziegler. When asked by Eyewitness News why he put himself in harm's way, Ziegler replied: "I wouldn't necessarily call it harm's way, I would just call it the right thing to do.

(KTLA-TV) Staff Writer Published Oct. 16, 2026 Updated Oct. 17, 2026 11:48 AM PT Click here to listen to this article See more from the L. A. Times in Google Search. Set us as preferred The Norte fire in south Orange County broke out amid strong Santa Ana winds on Friday morning, triggering mandatory evacuations in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. The fire has burned 570 acres as of 11 a.m. Saturday and is 5% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It has burned six homes. EvacuationsMandatory evacuations were ordered for San Juan Capistrano Zones 4, 5, and 10 and San Clemente Zones 12 and 13. “If you are in one of these zones, leave immediately,” the Orange County Fire Authority wrote on X. The evacuation zones include a swath of hillside neighborhoods bordered by the 5 Freeway, Ortega Highway and Avenida La Pata. It also extends down into neighborhoods closer to the coast and bordered by the 5 Freeway and Camino Los Mares. You can find a map of the evacuation zones on the Orange County Sheriff’s Department website.

Fierce Santa Ana winds caused a chaotic afternoon as a fast-moving fire burned through multiple hillside homes in south Orange County while a nearby blaze in San Onofre shut down the 5 Freeway for hours. Hot, smoky conditions forced residents in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano to flee and created traffic gridlock from Orange County to Oceanside as the key north-south highway was impacted by multiple fires just miles apart. The Norte fire ignited in bushy foothills south of San Juan Capistrano around noon and quickly grew to 465 acres, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. Six homes were damaged in a hillside enclave of multimillion-dollar properties near Via La Mirada, as officials urged residents to heed evacuation orders and head to local emergency shelters. Linda Verraster was on the deck behind her home in San Clemente, just south of the evacuation zone, on Friday afternoon, watching for signs it might be time to leave. Temperatures in the area were in the mid-90s and winds howled with gusts of up to 35 mph, a less-than-ideal situation for firefighters. Verraster had already filled her cars with gas and began preparing what she would grab if the fire kept growing.

OAK BROOK, Ill. (WLS) -- Oak Brook police say automated license plate reader technology played a key role in identifying and charging a suspect following a deadly shooting at Oak Brook Center mall last month, while critics continue to raise concerns about privacy and potential misuse of the technology. Oak Brook Police Chief Brian Strockis invited ABC7's I-Team inside the department's real-time crime center to demonstrate how the department uses automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, including Flock cameras. ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch"It was very chaotic at the beginning. You know, we didn't know who was involved. We didn't know exactly what happened... And within minutes of the incident, we were able to because of license plate reader technology... and be able to track its movements to where it was going," Strockis said. According to Strockis, the cameras helped investigators secure charges against Chance Jamerson, who is accused of orchestrating an attempted robbery at Oakbrook Center mall that ended with a man dead.

Investigators said the small plane overturned as it was landing on the runway near the water in Galveston, with the pilot walking away and refusing medical treatment.

A Cypress mother of three is getting results, as the Harris County Sheriff's Office says it issued six tickets in two days after she recorded drivers ignoring a bus stop.