LOS ANGELES () — Southern California is preparing for a significant Santa Ana wind event as Red Flag Warnings are set to take effect for parts of the region, bringing the threat of dangerous fire weather.
FORECAST: Santa Ana winds bring elevated fire danger to SoCal as temperatures climb, red flag warnings issued
A Red Flag Warning will be in effect from 6 a.m. Thursday until 8 p.m. Saturday for portions of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including the Santa Monica Mountains, San Gabriel Mountains, Interstate 5 corridor and the Antelope Valley foothills, according to the National Weather Service.
A Heat Advisory will also be in effect from 10 a.m. Thursday to 8 p.m. Saturday, with high temperatures expected across the region.
Forecasters are warning of northeast to east winds of 20 to 40 mph with gusts of 50 to 70 mph, humidity levels as low as 8% to 20%, and conditions that could support extreme fire behavior if a wildfire ignites.
“From the models that we’ve gotten from the weather, from NOAA it can be winds up to 70 miles an hour. That’s strange,” said L.A. County Fire Department Engineer Keith Navarre.
A Santa Ana wind event is prompting red flag warnings and critical fire danger across Southern California.
Officials said communities along the Santa Monica Mountains, as well as Santa Clarita, Malibu and desert areas, are among the locations being closely monitored.
About 224,500 Southern California Edison customers across Los Angeles and Ventura counties could be affected by a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff during the wind event, according to the utility’s website.
Fire agencies are deploying personnel and equipment across the region ahead of the wind event. All LA County firefighters are on phone standby starting at 8 a.m. Thursday. The county’s fire department is also adding a fourth firefighter to every engine that’s staffed.
“We are pre-positioning some strike teams. So we have two strike teams that we pre-position, camp crews, heavy equipment, helicopters, firefighting aircraft,” Navarre said.
“The purpose of doing that is if the fire breaks out, we can stop it when it’s small and put it out before it becomes a larger incident,” he added.
Cal Fire is also deploying 3 strike teams, totaling 15 trucks, across Los Angeles County/
Red Flag parking restrictions will take effect at 6 a.m. Thursday and remain in place for at least 48 hours, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Vehicles parked illegally in posted locations within Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones could be towed to help keep narrow roads clear for emergency responders and residents evacuating during a wildfire.
LAFD said additional resources are being pre-deployed in high-risk areas, including the San Fernando Valley, Santa Monica Mountains, Hollywood Hills and West Los Angeles.
Officials are urging residents to prepare by having a wildfire action plan, packing important medications, knowing their evacuation zone and registering for local emergency notification systems.
“Basically you just need to make sure that you have an evacuation route and have some equipment with you to make it through a few days,” Navarre said.
Fire officials are also reminding residents to avoid activities that could spark a wildfire and to be prepared for rapidly changing conditions throughout the wind event.
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