Local officials are already taking action to guarantee a prompt response to any problems that may arise as another significant Santa Ana wind event approaches most of Southern California.
In an attempt to lessen the possible damage caused by the high winds, which raise the possibility of destructive and quickly spreading wildfires, Cal Fire has begun the process of allocating more firefighting resources throughout the state.
According to the National Weather Service, the winds, which are expected to start just after midnight on Tuesday and continue until early Friday, might reach 80 miles per hour at times. SoCal Edison, the main electricity supplier in the area, is thinking about planning outages for hundreds of thousands of residents as a result of officials’ warning that this could lead to downed trees and power lines.
Cal Fire said in a statement released on Monday that they had six hand crews and 45 more engines prepared for deployment throughout Southern California. All of them were moved from Northern California and sent to different areas of the area, such as Orange County, San Diego County, and the Inland Empire.
Cal Fire states that in the case of a fire, they will start their initial firefighting response “above normal levels,” which includes water tenders, fire engines, hand crews, bulldozers, and supervisory people on duty around-the-clock.
“As we experienced in Ventura County in November with the Mountain Fire, and yet again in December with the Franklin Fire in Malibu, wildfire is a year-round threat,” Joe Tyler, Cal Fire Director, stated. “Please be vigilant and don’t be the cause of the next wildfire in your community.”
NWS issued a High Wind Warning from 4 a.m. Tuesday morning to 6 p.m. Wednesday and a Red Flag Warning that begins at 1 p.m. on Tuesday and ends at 6 p.m. on Thursday due to the impending winds.
Advice from fire officials
Tyler provided several suggestions aimed at educating the public about commonplace items that could cause a fire.
on order to prevent sparking, residents are advised to “ensure chains are not dragging” when towing a trailer along a roadway and to avoid parking their cars on dry grass where hot leaks could ignite the vegetation.
He also advised residents to attempt creating a five-foot buffer zone in the immediate vicinity of their houses, with a particular emphasis on getting rid of combustible materials. People should be prepared with “go bags” and have preparations to shelter pets if needed.
In order to prevent acts of arson, like the Line Fire that burned about 45,000 acres of brush in the San Bernardino Mountains after being purposefully started by Justin Wayne Halstenberg, he advocated reporting any suspicious activity to local authorities as soon as possible.
Potential power shutoffs
SoCal Edison responded in accordance with previous wind events by declaring that they were getting ready to implement their Public Safety Power Shutoffs.
“We may temporarily shut off power to your neighborhood during dangerous weather conditions to prevent our electric system from becoming a source of ignition,” according to Edison’s website. “These safety shutoffs are a measure of last resort for keeping you and your community safe.”
According to the website, 409, 518 subscribers were in counties that were being considered for PSPS as of 7:30 p.m. Kern, Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino.
Previous wind-driven wildfires
Devastating wildfires are nothing new to Southern California, and in the past year, flames fuelled by strong winds have consumed hundreds of thousands of acres of vegetation.
Strong winds and a dry climate were blamed by firemen for the Franklin Fireer’s December explosion, which burned almost 4,000 acres in a matter of hours near Malibu. The fast-moving flames were once again fueled by strong and unpredictable winds that blew into Ventura County, where the Mountain Fire had destroyed scores of houses a month earlier. Red Flag Warnings were in effect when each of these fires broke out.
Three distinct and catastrophic wildfires occurred simultaneously in Southern California earlier in 2024. The Line Fire, Bridge Fire, and Airport Fire combined to burn over 100,000 acres and cause damage to numerous buildings.
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