CA Firefighters Brace for Oppressive Heat

July 6, 2018
Firefighters in Southern California are bracing for a weekend heat wave forecasters say could break records and will greatly increase fire risks.

July 06 -- The worst of this week’s heat wave is expected to hit early Friday, with record-breaking temperatures predicted for much of Southern California, forecasters said.

The National Weather Service forecasts the high in downtown Los Angeles to reach 106, shattering the July 6 record of 94 degrees. In Woodland Hills, temperatures could reach a scorching 117 degrees. Forecasters expect a record-breaking 115 degrees in Van Nuys and 106 in Long Beach.

“We expect today to be the hottest day,” said Keily Delerme, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Even coastal areas are expected to see temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s.

For Luz Lyle, the heat wave has already proved to be unbearable. Standing by a bus stop in downtown early Friday, when the temperature hovered around 77 degrees, she said she was happy to be going to work because her office has air conditioning.

The hot days this week have forced her to hand over water guns to her children. Sometimes, she joined in on the water fights while blasting the air conditioner inside her home.

“All day long,” Lyle, 53, said. “All night long.”

The dry heat raises the danger of new fires sprouting throughout the region. A red flag warning will be in effect from Friday night through Saturday, with the most at-risk areas falling in the foothills and mountains.

“You have very dry conditions and a north wind,” Delerme, the meterologist, said. “As the wind goes downhill, it dries it more and makes it warmer. That’s why it’s such an extreme event.”

Single-digit humidity paired with dry fuels also creates the possibility of “extreme fire behavior,” she added.

“If there’s a fire, it won’t take long for it to spread out,” she said. “It’s just going to be dry.”

In San Diego, the Fire-Rescue Department plans to have extra firefighters, brush engines and water tankers on duty to deal with any heat-related blazes. Critical fire weather conditions are also possible in Ventura County, the valleys and central coast.

Although temperatures in Yolo and Napa counties are expected to reach the low 90s Friday, fire officials said Friday’s higher humidity levels will help firefighters battle the County fire that has burned 88,375 acres and destroyed nine structures. The blaze is 37% contained.

“We expect temperatures to max out at about 92 degrees, with humidity at 19% to 25% later this afternoon,” said Anthony Brown, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “That helps us out because with the humidity level up, the vegetation doesn’t dry out.”

Draped in heavy turnouts, firefighters can quickly become exhausted working 12- to 24-hour shifts. Brown said the slightly lower temperatures Friday will “help with the fatigue of firefighters” before the heat picks up Saturday.

Thousands of firefighters are currently assigned to the County fire. Meanwhile, the Pawnee fire, which has burned 15,000 acres in Lake County, is 92% contained.

A dip in temperatures allowed crews to make significant gains on containing both blazes, fire officials said.

The heat in the Sacramento Valley could reach the triple digits over the weekend before dropping early next week, the National Weather Service said. A similar drop is forecast in Southern California, where temperatures are expected to fall by about 10 degrees in Los Angeles by Sunday.

___ (c)2018 the Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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