Wildfires rage in Southern California, burn homes

Wildfires have damaged or destroyed at least six homes in Southern Calfornia.

The quick-spreading blazes are being fuelled by intense Santa Ana winds, low humidity and unseasonably high temperatures.

Authorities say they are aggressively attacking the fire from ground and air, and have repeated pleas for people to stay clear of the area.

Firefighters in Southern California say a fast-moving wildfire has ripped through at least six homes, prompting evacuations and power outages.

TV footage showed homes engulfed in flames in San Juan Capistrano in Orange County on Friday, local time.

Firefighters doused two-storey suburban homes with flames leaping out of their roofs. Black smoke billowed over tennis courts and backyard swimming pools.

Over 500 firefighters were battling the blaze that had grown to nearly 2 square kilometres, said Captain Steve Concialdi, a spokesman with the Orange County Fire Authority.

"We're doing everything we can to protect structures," he told KTLA-TV.

The Norte fire started in the coastal city of San Clemente and wind drove it into San Juan Capistrano.

It was one of several fires in the region hit by dry, warm gusts known as Santa Anas, which blow from the interior and toward the coast.

The strongest winds were expected through Friday afternoon but conditions that increase the fire risk were expected to last through Saturday night.

Tens of thousands of people in the state are without power after their electricity was turned off.

A separate fire shut down a section of Interstate 5 that is a major artery connecting Orange County to San Diego, adding hours to commutes throughout Southern California.

San Juan Capistrano, a city of 35,000, is known for horse trails and the historic Mission San Juan Capistrano. San Clemente, which is home to 62,000 people, is known as a "Spanish village by the sea" and is popular with beachgoers and surfers.