As a significant portion of Southern California continues to be under a red flag warning throughout the night, fire officials have deployed all of the resources that are available and prepositioned teams in regions that are prone to fire.
It is a record fifth alert involving critical fire conditions this season, and it is a Santa Ana windstorm that the National Weather Service refers to as a “particularly dangerous situation.”
Residents, particularly those who live in high-risk fire zones, are urged to remain vigilant until at least ten o’clock on Tuesday morning, when the worst of the winds are expected to subside.
Around the beaches and in the lowlands, peak wind speeds might reach between 50 and 70 miles per hour, with occasional gusts in the mountains and foothills reaching between 60 and 100 miles per hour.
Locations in Los Angeles County that are of particular concern include the northern San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys, Malibu Calabasas, and the Santa Clarita Valley.
Additionally, Altadena, Pasadena, and communities ranging from La Crescenta to Porter Ranch are also included in this category.
At least three wildfires that were caused by wind broke out on Monday. One of them in Griffith Park, another along the 405 Freeway in Granada Hills, which had a significant impact on traffic, and a third one in Riverside County came to light.
The meteorological service indicated that some of the heaviest gusts were expected to affect the following locations as of 8:30 p.m. the following regions:
- Traveling at 74 miles per hour through the western San Gabriel Mountains
- Sixty-one miles per hour through the Santa Susana Mountains
- At a speed of sixty miles per hour, Los Angeles County and the San Gabriel Valley
- When traveling at 54 miles per hour, Santa Clarita Valley
Chief Kristan Crowley of the Los Angeles Fire Department and Chief Anthony Marrone of the Los Angeles County Fire Department have both stated that crews are prepositioned and that staffing levels for this windstorm are higher than what the city activated during the conditions that occurred on January 7 and supercharged the Eaton and Palisades fires.
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“The vegetation is critically dry,” Chief Crowley said. Everyone here urges the community to stay alert.”
Residents who live in locations that are prone to fires are also strongly encouraged to pay attention to parking restrictions.
These limitations are imposed in order to facilitate emergency access and quicker reaction times to hillside neighborhoods in the event of a fire.