After a day of progress in protecting Brentwood and Encino from the Palisades Fire, firefighters are bracing for high winds in the coming days that could threaten the new community and hamper efforts to contain the blaze. effort.
The Los Angeles County fire has killed at least 16 people and destroyed more than 10,000 structures in what may be the most destructive wildfire in U.S. history.
predict
Severe fire weather is expected to peak Saturday night into Sunday and Monday night into Tuesday, with wind gusts in the eastern mountains of Los Angeles County possibly reaching more than 75 mph. Forecasters say unsettled weather could help push the Altadena-area Eaton Fire farther south.
“We’re worried about the winds picking up tonight and into Monday into Wednesday,” National Weather Service meteorologist Ross Schoenfeld said. “The overall duration doesn’t look good.”
A red flag warning, which was in effect at 6pm on Saturday, has been extended to Wednesday night, with a fire watch also in effect. While Santa Ana wind events will impact mountain and foothill communities in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, they may have a greater impact on the Santa Susana and San Gabriel Mountains.
While the dry weather is expected to continue into the middle of the week, Schoenfeld said Thursday could bring some respite, with a 20 percent chance of rain and elevated humidity.
“Ideally it’s a storm, but we’ll do our best,” Schoenfeld said.
Gusty northeasterly winds are expected to continue into Sunday but are likely to stay on ridge tops at higher elevations, said James White, a meteorologist with the interagency team working on the Eaton Fire.
The biggest concern is Tuesday, when winds from further east could drop to lower elevations and affect some fire areas, he said. But he said those gusts were likely only 20 or 25 mph, far weaker than the hurricane-force winds that brought embers and flames to the Palisades and Eaton Canyon areas last week.
“While we are monitoring this closely, it is nowhere near the level of severe fire weather that we are seeing triggering this event,” White said.
Influence
The 23,707-acre Palisades Fire was 11% contained as of Sunday morning. The Eaton Fire covers 14,117 acres and is currently 15% contained.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marone said his crews are preparing for dangerous increases in winds, which will undoubtedly create further challenges for ongoing firefights.
He warned that more power outages could occur in the coming days to limit potential fires in electrical equipment.
“Please understand that public safety power shutoffs will inevitably be implemented ahead of this life-threatening Santa Ana wind event, which are critical to preventing new fires and helping to save lives,” Malone said. “Yes. , it’s really challenging to deal with them, but it’s certainly better than starting a fire again.”
fire war
Winds shifted Saturday and the fire spread north and east through the Santa Monica Mountains, forcing evacuations in the mountains of Brentwood, Encino and Tarzana. That leaves fire-plagued Los Angeles on edge on its fifth day of catastrophic blazes that have damaged or destroyed more than 10,000 buildings.
Firefighting helicopters and aircraft sprayed water and retardant on fire lines not far from Highway 405, trying to stop the flames from engulfing more neighborhoods. The precipitation appeared to be productive, but at least two remote hillside homes were burned in Mandeville Canyon, according to aerial video from local television.
Calm winds and higher humidity helped firefighters make progress Saturday in their battle against an unprecedented fire siege that has devastated the foothill communities of Altadena and the coastal enclave of Pacific Palisades , but officials warned that Santa Ana wind gusts will intensify again next week and warned the public to stay in place with warnings.
Don Fregulia, operations section chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said crews responding to the Eaton Fire are still dealing with hot spots and emergencies, including in areas near some communities.
“We’re using every tool in the tool box to put out the fire,” Freguglia said. But he admits it’s been a long battle: “Many days, many weeks of work.”
power problem
As of Saturday, Southern California Edison reported that more than 300,000 customers in the region (and about 80,000 in Los Angeles County) were considering further power outages “due to heightened wildfire risk.”
About 20,000 customers in Los Angeles County remain without power due to planned outages.
health warning
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has declared a local health emergency due to the fire. Health officials have extended the smoke warning for unhealthy air quality until 10pm on Sunday.
The department said in an alert Saturday that small particles in wildfire smoke can cause ailments such as burning eyes, runny noses, itchy throats, headaches and bronchitis. Children, older adults, people with respiratory or heart disease, or anyone with a compromised immune system may experience more severe effects such as difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, fatigue, and chest pain.
The health emergency declaration prohibits the use of powered leaf blowers or other equipment that can put ash and particulate matter into the air until further notice. The agency recommends residents wear N95 or P100 masks when going out for extended periods of time.
