A red-flag warning went into effect Sunday night and is expected to last through Wednesday evening for the Orange County coastal areas, as well as the San Gabriel Valley.
A high wind warning was issued for the Inland Empire through Tuesday night. A ridge of high pressure is moving into the Southland, bringing gusts up to 60 mph in some areas.
On Monday, a structure fire erupted behind a radiator shop in Fontana around 9:30 a.m. The fire spread to three units but firefighters were quickly able to contain it.
San Bernardino Fire Department Cpt. Shawn Millerick said extra staffing helped his crew handle the situation and keep it from spreading.
"A lot of these fires, whether it's this refuse fire or vegetation or structure fire, will grow exponentially with the wind and the speed of the wind, so the more man power, the more people on duty, the better, and the more equipment that can, you know, converge on the actually incident," said Millerick. "We've got extra staffing here in Fontana and neighboring areas as well so that aides us, and obviously having the resources."
All lanes of the southbound 15 Freeway were closed at Stoddard Wells Road in Victorville Monday morning after a semi-truck overturned and spilled 80,000 pounds of frozen meat.
Firefighters across Southern California remain on high alert due to the windy and dry conditions. Cal Fire was asking everyone to be cautious and report any flames or embers.
The Los Angeles Fire Department augmented staff across the city Monday while pre-deploying equipment and personnel to areas of known brush fire danger.
Twenty-one additional fire engines were staffed to meet the needs of neighborhood fire stations in Tujunga, Mission Hills, Chatsworth, Reseda, Pacific Palisades, Los Feliz, Glassell Park, Centura City, Echo Park, Lincoln Heights, Central City East, Canoga Park, Pico/Robertson, El Sereno, the Industrial Eastside, Newton, Wilmington, North Hollywood, Hollywood, Panorama City and Mar Vista.
Officials said extra firefighting resources are being moved to the foothills because of the heightened fire danger.
On Sunday, crews had to knock down a brush fire along the 405 Freeway, just north of Devonshire Street. Gusty winds fueled the flames. It took more than 60 firefighters and a water-dropping helicopter about half an hour to contain the 2-acre blaze.
It will be a warm week with temperatures in the upper-70s on Monday in the Los Angeles Metro area and Orange County, as well as the Inland Empire and Valleys. Temps will rise to the 80s on Tuesday and linger there through the end of the work week.
The High Desert will see breezy conditions and temperatures in the 60s for the entire week. The mountains will be sunny and windy with highs in the 50s.
Southland residents are being asked to take the standard precautions and report any smoke or fire immediately.
