Southern California grapples with a relentless fire season, marked by multiple wildfires fueled by dry conditions and strong winds. Despite the efforts of firefighters, the threat remains high as red flag warnings persist. While rain is on the forecast, it is not expected to fully alleviate the fire danger.
Southern California's fire season continues unabated, even with the prospect of rain on the horizon. Over the past day, hundreds of exhausted firefighters have battled multiple wildfires in the hills surrounding Los Angeles and Ventura counties. These blazes include a massive fire near Castaic, an early morning fire in the Sepulveda Pass that threatened Brentwood and Bel-Air, and another that encroached upon Ventura County farmland Thursday morning.
Damage has been contained largely due to aggressive water drops and winds, which while strong, haven't reached the intensity witnessed during the destructive Jan. 7 firestorms that decimated thousands of structures, including numerous homes.Around 9:40 a.m. Thursday, a brush fire erupted in Camarillo, consuming 50 acres and temporarily prompting evacuations at Cal State Channel Islands. Firefighters swiftly deployed water on the blaze as it scorched brush along Round Mountain, effectively halting its forward progress. Hours earlier, before dawn, firefighters engaged the Sepulveda fire, which ignited on the parched hillsides of the 405 Freeway and was burning towards multimillion-dollar homes. Firefighters managed to stop the blaze's advance, which burned 45 acres, by 2 a.m., and it was 60% contained by Thursday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Shortly after 4 p.m., two new brush fires ignited in Riverside County – the 3-acre Reche fire in Moreno Valley and the 15-acre Gibbel fire in Hemet. These fires, though quickly controlled, underscored a nerve-wracking week for Southern California as the region endured a fourth consecutive day of red flag fire weather warnings. 'This is a dangerous fire day today,' the National Weather Service posted on X. 'Winds will continue to increase and expand this morning. Humidity is already extremely dry. Much of LA and Ventura counties are at critical Red Flag levels. Any new fire can grow rapidly.' Red flag warnings have been issued for some parts of Southern California for 14 of the last 17 days. This period began on Jan. 7, the day the Palisades and Eaton fires commenced their devastating spread, leveling vast areas of Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Altadena. The largest blaze that ignited this week was the Hughes fire, which erupted just before 11 a.m. Wednesday. By Thursday evening, it had scorched approximately 10,400 acres in the area north of Castaic, forcing thousands from their homes. Over 31,000 people were ordered to evacuate, with warnings issued to another 23,000. Some evacuation orders and warnings were downgraded Thursday as crews made progress in containing the blaze. The fire was 36% contained by Thursday evening. However, firefighters continue to face challenging weather conditions. Santa Ana winds were anticipated to strengthen and peak throughout Thursday, but they will persist through at least Friday morning, according to the weather service, which extended its red flag fire weather warning through Friday at 10 a.m. for much of Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties. Temperatures in the Castaic area were expected to reach the high 70s or low 80s on Thursday, exacerbating the dry conditions. Humidity across Southern California has dropped below 10%. “We’re still in the middle of this extended period of extreme dryness, and we’re looking at this next wind enhancement picking up,” said Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the weather service. With the air so dry — and not moistening up overnight — it is a “really concerning period for humidities,” Kittell said. Plants and other fuels are “ready to burn.” However, rain is on the horizon for Southern California. Precipitation could commence as early as Saturday afternoon and last until Monday night. Rainfall estimates range from nine-tenths of an inch in Covina to nearly three-quarters of an inch in downtown L.A., Long Beach, and Santa Clarita. Areas like Redondo Beach could see two-thirds of an inch, while Fillmore and Canoga Park could receive three-fifths of an inch. Thousand Oaks and Oxnard are expected to see around half an inch. Higher elevations like Wrightwood could receive 11 inches of snow, and 4 inches along the Grapevine section of Interstate 5. 'It's not going to get us out of the fire season,' Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist with the weather service, said of the rain. 'With those much higher relative humidities coming in it'll certainly help firefighters' efforts.' President Trump is scheduled to visit California on Friday to personally assess the fire damage. In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity that aired Wednesday night, the president hinted that he may withhold aid to California until the state modifies its approach to managing water resources. Trump blamed California's conservation efforts for the endangered Delta smelt in the northern part of the state for fire hydrants running dry in Los Angeles. 'I don't think we should give California anything until they let water flow down,' he said.
WILDFIRES SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RED FLAG WARNINGS SANTA ANA WINDS RAIN FIRE SEASON PRESIDENT TRUMP CALIFORNIA WATER MANAGEMENT
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