Firefighters keep watch under SoCal red-flag warnings

STEVENSON RANCH, LOS ANGELES COUNTY (KABC) -- Dry weather, hot temperatures and strong winds are creating dangerous fire conditions across the Southland.

A red-flag warning will continue until 8 p.m. Thursday in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, the Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County mountains, Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys and the coastal area stretching into downtown Los Angeles.

Overnight, strong winds knocked over a large tree in Lake View Terrace on Goleta Street. In North Hills, a toppled tree damaged a vehicle.

On Tuesday, firefighters kept watch on a hillside in Glendale hours after a small blaze raced through dry brush near Figueroa Street and Linda Vista Road. The flames were knocked down quickly with the help of aerial water drops.

With powerful winds moving into Southern California, residents of communities devastated by past fires were worried.

"It's worrisome because we've had some major fires over the mountain," said Joyce, a Santa Clarita resident.

Watches/Warnings --> abc7.la/WxWarnings

Additional firefighters will be placed at several neighborhood fire stations that serve areas at higher risk of brush fires, including stations in Porter Ranch, Bel Air, Woodland Hills, Sylmar and the San Fernando Valley area.

"All the way from Malibu to the high desert, which is the Antelope Valley, there is red-flag warnings, so we have staffed up extra firefighters. We have approximately 92 extra firefighters that will be on staff," said Los Angeles County fire Inspector Randall Wright.

The fire department may also institute special parking restrictions in areas prone to wildfire.

"This year in particular we're a little more concerned, because the little bit of rain that we did get has created a grass crop, so we've got a lot more of a fuel carrier for fires to get bigger a lot faster," said Chris Calomino with the U.S. Forest Service.

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.