Red-flag fire danger lurks under blue skies in Los Angeles
Santa Ana winds spur the warning for Los Angeles and Ventura counties as temperatures rise and hills dry out.
Santa Ana winds left Southern California skies sunny and blue this morning but kept firefighting strike teams throughout Los Angeles County on the lookout for any hint of fire as brush-covered hillsides quickly dried out in warming temperatures.
The red-flag warning issued by the National Weather Service for Los Angeles and Ventura counties is expected to persist until Sunday afternoon, when temperatures are expected to reach into the low 80s. Jamie Meyer, a meteorologist for the weather service, said there have been gusts as strong as 60 and 70 miles per hour in such places as the Angeles National Forest, the Sylmar area and the Malibu Hills.
The region experienced two storms in December that left many hilly areas relatively green with new vegetation. But it doesn't take long for that vegetation to turn into fuel for potential fires when Santa Ana winds barrell through for a couple of days.
Meyer said city and county fire officials had determined that the strength and duration of the winds provided "time to dry things out enough so that we have a critical danger."
She added that the National Weather Service office in Oxnard had added staffing and was gathering more fire-weather forecasts because of the increasing heat and wind. There was also increased communication with fire officials about what they were seeing out in the field, she said.
There are "fuel beds out there that haven't burned in 15 years, like along the 101 corridor," said Sam Padilla, an inspector for the L.A. County Fire Department. "It's content that hasn't burned in a long time, and more rain means more brush. It's a Catch-22."
He said strike teams made up of five engine crews and a battalion chief were in predetermined locations throughout the county, prepared to respond in case a fire broke out.
"We are watching," Padilla said.
Meyer said that the winds should calm down and then pick up again in the afternoon and strengthen late into Saturday night. The Santa Ana event is expected to last until about 3 p.m. Sunday.
In the meantime, the winds are drying out the air and keeping clouds from forming, resulting in pristine, aquamarine skies, Meyer said.
