Santa Anas Blowing Up Temps, Wildfire Danger

A new round of Santa Ana winds neared hurricane force in local mountains today, pumped up temperatures across coastal Southern California and pushed the danger of a wildfire into the red zone today. A Red Flag Warning remained in effect until 6 p.m. tonight from the Los Angeles County coast and north into the mountains.

County firefighters stationed extra five-engine strike teams in Agoura Hills, La Canada-Flintridge and Malibu to get a quick jump on any wildfires, supervising fire dispatcher Art Marrujo said. And in the City of Los Angeles, seven fire engine companies were ``strategically deployed'' in the windiest areas: Mission Hills, Chatsworth, West Hills and Canoga Park. These four additional fire crews were placed there about 6:30 a.m. and were expected to be out by noon.

"This is to assist reducing response times in L.A. where there is an increased chance of wind-driven fires,'' spokesman Erik Scott told CNS. Emergency Santa Ana wind parking restrictions in the Hollywood Hills were not necessary and were not invoked, Scott said. By 10 a.m., a peak gust of 68 miles per hour was reported from a weather- watcher's gauge above Malibu, the National Weather Service said.

A similar gust was observed at a fire camp in the mountains above Sylmar. A 50 mph gust blasted Porter Ranch, and freeways in the Newhall Pass and northern San Fernando Valley were also getting crosswinds topping 40 mph at midmorning.

Damaging gusts out of the northeast, up to 60 mph, had been predicted in wind-prone areas of Los Angeles and Orange counties. Sustained winds should be in the 15-25 mph range, the NWS said. In Orange County, no Red Flags were issued but a high-wind warning was issued through 3 p.m. today, to be followed by lesser winds tonight.

A clockwise airflow around a high-pressure system over the region is responsible for the offshore winds, which are out of the north and west. Compressional heating, caused by high-desert air sweeping over the mountains and falling into the Los Angeles Basin, also dries out the air, making conditions ripe for a wildfire to spread quickly.

–City News Service