The National Weather Service issued its most severe fire weather warning for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties starting early Tuesday, underscoring the continuing threat in areas battered by nearly a week of firestorms.
The ominous “especially dangerous conditions” warning was first issued by the local National Weather Service in October 2020, then in December 2020, and then not until 2024.
Issuing this warning is “one of the ways we shout it out loud,” said Rose Schoenfeld, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“This continues to be an extreme fire weather and wind scenario,” Schoenfeld said. Wind gusts could range from 45 mph to 110 mph, and the air will be very dry, especially Tuesday, with relative humidity as low as 5%. Fires can spread rapidly because embers fly at high speeds, increasing the risk of power outages, rapid fire spread, and extreme fire hazards.
The Japan Meteorological Bureau says, “Please refrain from any activities that may cause a fire.” The warning for particularly dangerous conditions went into effect at 4 a.m. Tuesday and was scheduled to last until noon Wednesday.
(National Weather Bureau)
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Christine Crowley said firefighters had made extensive preparations in advance of the extreme weather.
“I want to reassure LAFD, all of our partners in the community, all the agencies that come from within this state and beyond, that we are ready,” she said Sunday afternoon.
These preparations include strengthening fire lines around the Eaton and Palisades fires, clearing dry brush from surviving buildings, and deploying resources to areas where new fires are likely to start. Masu.
“We have pre-positioned additional engines, fire teams, helicopters, bulldozers and water trucks throughout Southern California,” said Nancy Ward, Director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Crews are also preparing for the worst-case scenario, where high winds prevent the use of firefighting aircraft, by strategically dropping retardant around the fire.
“if [aircraft] Los Angeles County Fire Battalion Chief Christian Ritz said Sunday afternoon.
Sunday’s grim forecast comes as the confirmed death toll from the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires soars to 24. Eight of the fire victims died in the Palisades Fire and 16 died in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, according to a Los Angeles County news release. Medical examiner.
Officials warn that tolls will likely continue to rise. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said search and recovery efforts are underway in both the Eaton and Palisades fire areas using cadaver dogs and grid searches.
This fire is one of the deadliest in California’s modern history. The state’s deadliest wildfire remains the Camp Fire, which burned through the town of Paradise in Butte County in 2018, killing at least 85 people. The second deadliest fire was the 1933 Griffith Park Fire, which killed 29 people. Then, in 1991, 25 people died in the Oakland Berkeley Hills fire. In 2017, the Tubbs Fire killed 22 people in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Although there is no final tally of buildings destroyed, the fire is already one of the most destructive in modern California history. The Palisades Fire destroyed more than 5,300 structures and the Eaton Fire destroyed more than 5,000 structures, making them the third and fourth costliest fires on record, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
These are surpassed only by the Tubbs Fire, which burned more than 5,600 structures in Wine Country in 2017, and the Camp Fire, which burned nearly 19,000 structures.
The Palisades Fire was 23,713 acres and 13% contained as of Sunday night, and the Eaton Fire was 14,117 acres and 27% contained, according to Cal Fire.
As authorities try to determine the cause of the Eaton Fire that burned Altadena and surrounding areas, investigators are zeroing in on power transmission towers in Eaton Canyon. Early photos and videos taken by residents captured what appeared to be the first flames of the deadly Eaton Fire burning at the base of an Edison transmission tower in Southern California, then racing down a ravine toward homes. .
So far, Southern California Edison officials have said they do not believe electrical equipment was to blame.
Fire officials are investigating whether falling utility equipment from Southern California Edison may have played a role in igniting the 800-acre Hearst Fire near Sylmar, company officials said. The fire, which broke out Tuesday near Diamond Road in Sylmar, was 89% contained and as of Sunday the evacuation order had been lifted, but efforts to extinguish the fire continued.
The company released a report Friday saying a conductor was found collapsed on a pylon near the fire, but that “it is not known whether the damage observed occurred before or after the fire occurred.” said.
Schoenfeld said he doesn’t expect this week’s fire weather to be as severe as last week’s historic storms that caused the Palisades and Eaton fires. The particularly hazardous conditions warning covers a relatively small area, primarily the northern San Fernando Valley, including Porter Ranch and San Fernando. Western Santa Monica Mountains and Malibu area. A large area of Ventura County, including the cities of Ventura, Simi Valley, and Fillmore. and the Grapevine section of Interstate 5.
“However, this is a very dangerous situation and can lead to very extreme fire behavior and life-threatening situations,” Schoenfeld said. “Fuel conditions will remain extremely dry and there will be an extended period of very low humidity across the region.”
Making matters worse is the lack of rain in Southern California. Only 0.16 inches of rain has fallen in downtown Los Angeles since Oct. 1, which is nothing compared to the average of 5.23 inches observed up to this point in the water year.
Winds of 25 to 40 mph are expected along the coast and valleys, with gusts of 30 to 50 mph. Sustained winds of 30 to 45 mph are possible in mountainous and hilly areas, with maximum gusts of 50 to 70 mph.
Wind gusts of up to 15 mph are expected in Downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach, but 40 mph in Canoga Park and Lancaster, 43 mph in Oxnard, 47 mph in Santa Clarita, 53 mph in Fillmore and Pyramid Lake. 55 mph and could reach speeds of 109 mph. In Acton.
Schoenfeld said there will be more danger from downed trees and power lines than the usual red flags from fire weather warnings. Areas with especially dangerous conditions are more likely to experience public safety power outages.
The area covered by this warning does not include the footprints of the Palisades and Eaton fires, but they are nearby. This includes the Hearst fire area in Sylmar.
This wind event will be more traditional Santa Ana winds with winds blowing from the east and spreading fires westward. Last week’s storm was exacerbated by “mountain wave winds,” which occur when gusts of wind move rapidly down mountain slopes and become stronger when they hit flat terrain. The event produced brief periods of strong and dangerous winds, with gusts of up to 160 mph reported near Altadena. The winds from this event were mainly from the north.
Schoenfeld said last week’s storm was rare because the winds were unusually widespread and affected areas where Santa Ana’s powerful winds normally don’t. Typically, when wind gusts of 160 mph are reported, the gusts are isolated from the mountain. The foothills of Altadena and the San Gabriel Valley don’t usually get heavy winds in traditional Santa Ana wind events, but they did last week. This is one of the main reasons Altadena suffered so much damage from the Eaton Fire.
(National Weather Bureau)
This is the fourth warning indicating particularly dangerous conditions since autumn. Large and destructive fires broke out after three advance warnings. In November, a 19,904-acre wildfire in Ventura County destroyed more than 240 buildings. The 4,037-acre Franklin Fire spread quickly in Malibu, destroying 20 buildings in December. And last week’s Palisades and Eaton fires.
Traditional red flag warnings, which warn of severe fire weather conditions, have already been in effect across large areas of Southern California since Saturday and are expected to be expanded further on Monday. Red flag warning areas cover a much larger area than those covered by particularly dangerous conditions.
The red flag warning for Los Angeles and Ventura counties is scheduled to end Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Officials also warned of dangerous seas and high winds off the coast of Los Angeles County. The affected area stretches from Malibu to Santa Monica and includes Anacapa Island and the San Pedro Strait. Significant gusty winds are possible at Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island.
“There will be a respite from extreme fire weather beginning Thursday as winds ease and humidity increases and is expected to continue into the weekend,” Schoenfeld said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday announced the deployment of 1,000 additional California National Guard troops to fire-ravaged Los Angeles. The new additions will bring the total number of Guard members in the region to about 2,500 by Monday, according to the governor’s office.
Los Angeles authorities announced Sunday that they arrested 29 more people in fire zones overnight, including one robbery suspect who was allegedly dressed as a firefighter. Officials said 25 of the arrests were made in the Eaton fire zone and four in the Palisades fire zone.
Mexican firefighters and paramedics arrived in Los Angeles to help put out the fire. Gov. Gavin Newsom said 72 firefighters arrived Saturday. They joined thousands of others fighting the fires.
Times staff writers Rebecca Ellis, Grace Twohey, Jenny Jarvie, Laura J. Nelson, Kevin Rector, Ruben Vives, Julia Wick and Richard Winton contributed to this report.
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