LOS ANGELES – Millions of Southern Californians are on edge as winds began picking up during a final round of dangerous fire weather forecast for the region Wednesday where two massive blazes have killed at least 25 and destroyed thousands of homes.
The outlook for Wednesday includes a rare warning of a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” for an area near where two massive blazes have killed at least 25 and destroyed thousands of homes.
A day after firefighters got a reprieve with lighter winds than expected, gusts were hitting up to 35 mph (56 kph) on the coast and valleys and 55 mph (88 kph) in the mountains before dawn, National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hall said. They were expected to increase up to 10 mph (16 kph) through the morning.
“This is really just the last push of these winds here today,” Hall said. “Hopefully, if we get through today we’re gonna have some better conditions for late week, especially into Friday and Saturday.”
The Eaton Fire burning just north of Los Angeles and the Palisades Fire that destroyed much of the seaside LA neighborhood of Pacific Palisades broke out Jan. 7 in conditions similar to what’s expected Wednesday. High winds last week pushed flames at remarkable speed and carried fire-sparking embers sometimes miles away.
The weather service issued red flag warnings — indicating temperatures are warm, humidity is low and strong winds are expected — from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. from the Central Coast 275 miles (443 kilometers) south to the border with Mexico. A “Particularly Dangerous Situation” was in effect for an area that includes parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
More than 90,000 households were without electricity Wednesday morning as utilities shut off power to prevent their lines from sparking new blazes.
