'We're in crisis': The California coastal town under siege from fires, high surf, El Nio

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Set us as preferred Few cities in California last week felt the full brunt of the climate crisis more than the small coastal town of San Clemente.The beach city at the southern end of Orange County for months has been dealing with widespread coastal erosion from El Niño-related Pacific storms that has threatened a crucial rail line and reshaped swaths of its beaches.Then, as the waves were still pounding, a fire broke out in the city’s bushy foothills Friday, quickly burning toward hillside neighborhoods and destroying homes in nearby San Juan Capistrano.

San Clemente’s challenges demonstrate what more of California will probably face as the twin dangers of fire and coastal erosion converge this winter.Southern California is just entering its traditional fire season, and forecasters are predicting more coastal flooding and erosion from what is expected to be a severe El Niño winter.“We’re in a crisis,” said Cameron Cosgrove, a 14-year San Clemente resident and a planning commissioner.

“Our beaches are eroding and our wildfire risk is very high, especially during Santa Ana wind conditions.These are scary times and they require us to respond.”San Clemente is a quintessential California beach town with bluff-top enclaves offering panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and famed beaches boasting some of the best surf breaks in the country.

The waves are so epic in the “Spanish Village by the Sea” that it beat out all other California beach cities to host the surfing competition in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.But the factors that make it such a desirable place to live and play also bring immense risks for destruction — sometimes simultaneously.

On Monday, firefighters were working to wash streaks of pink fire retardant off the streets and finish building containment lines around the charred hills between S...