The winds in Southern California are calmer than they were at their peak, and firemen are making progress. However, the region is still at risk because Santa Ana winds are expected to keep blowing for a few more days.
LA Mayor Karen Bass said Monday, “Everyone needs to be on high alert.” “Firefighters from Los Angeles and other cities have already been sent out, and we want people in Los Angeles to be ready in case they need to leave.”
“Particularly dangerous situation” red flag warnings are in effect until 10 a.m. PT Tuesday for most of the foothills and mountainous areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including Malibu. This means that strong winds and low humidity will make fires more likely, according to the National Weather Service.
These warnings, which say that wind gusts of up to 100 mph are possible, are supposed to end Tuesday morning, but the effects of the long Santa Ana Wind event might last until Thursday. The mountains and valleys of San Diego County, as well as most of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, are already under fire weather watches that start Tuesday evening and last until Thursday evening.
The National Weather Service says that even though the winds weakened a bit Monday night, they are still very strong and the air is very dry, which increases the risk of fire. The National Weather Service in Los Angeles says that wind gusts reached record highs across Southern California on Monday night. At Sill Hill in the San Diego County Mountains, they reached 77 mph, and at Magic Mountain in Angeles National Forest, they reached 74 mph.
The highest level of alert from the Storm Prediction Center, two “extremely critical” fire zones were set for Tuesday. The first one covers a lot of land in the San Gabriel Mountains, going west to the Santa Monica Mountains, the Santa Susana Mountains, and even the coast of Malibu. Second, parts of the eastern foothills of San Diego and the western San Jacinto Mountains are covered by this notice.
The prediction center says that more than three million people are facing a “extremely critical” fire threat and more than ten million people are facing a critical fire threat, which is a level 2 or 3 threat.
Conditions are expected to stay the same through Thursday because of strong ocean winds and very low humidity. From Tuesday to Thursday, many places are likely to have humidity levels between 2% and 5%, the agency said.
A statement from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office on Sunday said that “more than 130 fire engines, water tenders, and aircraft” would be sent to Southern California.
On top of its regular staffing levels, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection “has surged and positioned over 790 firefighting personnel who are ready to respond,” the news release said.
Even worse, almost all of Southern California is in a serious drought. However, the National Weather Service said there is a chance of rain on Saturday.
Questions are being asked about how the local government responded to the disaster and whether the Los Angeles Fire Department was ready.
Mayor Bass is getting a lot of bad press for when he planned to go on vacation overseas and for budget cuts that hurt the fire department months ago.
Fire and medical examiners in Los Angeles County say that at least 27 people have died and that thousands of homes have been destroyed by the flames. The sheriff’s office said that about 41,000 people in Los Angeles County were still under an evacuation order or warning on Saturday.
Firefighting teams have already been sent out because of the high winds and higher risk of fire.
Chief Kristin Crowley said, “The Los Angeles Fire Department has strategically placed fire trucks and patrols in high-risk areas across the city of Los Angeles and has deployed all available resources.” The department is also planning its emergency operations to make sure it can respond quickly to all new fires.
Crowley also said that regional and state partners in fighting fires have already set up fire trucks and planes all over Southern California.
A worrying lack of rain has made the area more likely to have wildfires: it hasn’t rained much since spring, leaving plants and bushes dry and easy to ignite.
The long-lasting drought, made worse by Santa Ana winds, has made the land more fragile. According to the latest data from the US Drought Monitor, 90% of Los Angeles County is now in severe drought. This is a big change from less than a month ago, when there were no severe drought conditions.
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