Southern California is on high alert as strong winds return, raising fire risks and threatening ongoing blazes
Firefighters were finally making some progress on the Eaton and Palisades fires, but these winds could really stir things up again. Meteorologist Christopher Tate from Fox Forecast Center warned that the fire risk is still very much alive.
He mentioned that while things might get a bit better after today, we still have to watch out for those strong gusts. They could easily spark new fires or make the existing ones worse.
The winds aren’t expected to reach the crazy 100 mph gusts we saw last week, but there’s still a big chance of new fires popping up. With everything so dry, any unburned vegetation is just waiting to catch fire.
The National Weather Service is sounding the alarm, saying the conditions could be especially dangerous. High winds might even ground firefighting aircraft, which is a real concern.
As of Monday night, the Pacific Palisades fire was only about 14% contained. Fire officials are urging folks in areas like Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley to evacuate if they feel unsafe.
Things might improve a bit after today, but forecasters are predicting a dry spell with no rain for at least the next week and a half.
In just a week, these fires have scorched over 62 square miles in the LA area. That’s about three times the size of Manhattan!
While the Eaton Fire near Pasadena is about one-third contained, the Pacific Palisades blaze is still struggling at just 14%. Sadly, at least 24 lives have been lost, and around 200,000 people have been displaced.
