So far as evacuations, it's definitely worse. My mom has two of my sisters (with husbands and two kids each and pets), as well as an in-law's relative and her 10 dogs (she runs a kennel), she would have another close family friend, but she has cats, so her office is letting her and the cats live there.
I lived down there for the Cedar fire (interestingly, this time, there's a San Marcos fire that might have evacuated us, if we still lived there). Aside from the huge area burned, there's also the horrible air that will last for at least a week - you can see the air. You can almost pick it up. Even indoors, in a sealed office, with high powered air cleaners running, you can see the air.
This does sound worse - they're saying it might reach the ocean. Those Santa Ana winds could sure push it there. They blow straight west, nonstop, no shifts, no nothing, 20-30 mph. Hot wind from the desert.