Santa Ana winds, heat wave bring increased threat of wildfires across parts of SoCal
A red-flag warning signifying a high risk of wildfire is in effect Monday for several parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties because of strong winds, high heat and low humidity at the start of another heat wave, the Southland's first of fall 2020.
A red-flag warning signifying a high risk of wildfire is in effect Monday in the San Gabriel Mountains, the Angeles National Forest, the Santa Clarita Valley and several areas of neighboring Ventura County because of strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity at the start of another heat wave, the Southland's first of fall 2020.
"Critical fire weather conditions are anticipated across the mountains of Ventura and Los Angeles counties as well as the Santa Clarita Valley Monday morning through Monday afternoon,'' warned a National Weather Service statement. "North to northeast wind gusts between 30 and 45 mph are expected along with relative humidity dropping into the teens and single digits. Therefore, red flag warnings have been issued for these areas from 5 a.m. Monday through 5 p.m.''
The weather service said offshore winds combined with hot and dry conditions will bring elevated to brief critical fire weather conditions Tuesday through Friday in areas away from the coast, including an increased threat of plume-dominated fires with extreme fire behavior at times.
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In the Santa Clarita Valley and the San Gabriel Mountains, a wind advisory will be in effect from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. because of expected northeast winds of 20 to 25 miles per hour and gusts of 40 mph amid triple-digit temperatures.
"Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects and make driving difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles," warned the NWS. "Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur.''
Additionally, a heat advisory was issued from 10 a.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Thursday in the Santa Clarita, San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys and the Santa Monica Mountains.
FULL FORECAST: Hot, windy conditions bringing renewed fire risk
"Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors,'' warned an NWS statement, adding that children, seniors and pets must never be left unattended in vehicles, whose interior temperatures can quickly become lethal.
The red-flag warning comes as hundreds of firefighters continue to battle the more than 114,000-acre Bobcat Fire, one of the largest in L.A. County history. The blaze is 65% contained after burning dozens of homes in the Antelope Valley area.
RELATED: Bobcat Fire: Containment of 114K-acre blaze increases to 63%; 138 buildings destroyed
"Our fire crews have been working day and night to try to minimize the potential threat of the fire spreading," said John Zimpelman with the L.A. County Fire Department.
City News Service contributed to this report.
