LOS ANGELES, CA – Red Flag Warnings remain in effect for most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties through 8 p.m. Saturday as Santa Ana winds and low humidity raise wildfire danger, and Southern California Edison has shut off power to tens of thousands of customers, according to the National Weather Service and the utility.
The National Weather Service office in Los Angeles/Oxnard issued an updated fire weather message at 1:16 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, saying its Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity is in effect until 8 p.m. PDT Saturday, Oct. 17. The update added Ojai, Casitas and the Santa Lucia Mountains to earlier warnings.
The message warned of a high risk for rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior with any new fire start through Saturday. It told residents to “use extreme caution with anything that can spark a wildfire.”
Two fires broke out Thursday afternoon: the Cornell Fire near Santa Paula in Ventura County and the Bryson Fire near Encinal Canyon Road in Malibu. By Friday morning, the Bryson Fire had burned about 147 acres and was 17% contained.
Winds forecast to peak Friday
The Weather Service said Red Flag Warnings are in effect for most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Thursday through Saturday, and for interior Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties on Friday.
Moderate to strong Santa Ana winds are forecast to peak around Friday and slowly weaken through the weekend. In the mountains and foothills, the forecast calls for northeast to east winds of 20 to 40 mph with gusts of 50 to 70 mph.
Isolated gusts of 70 to 90 mph are possible Friday, the Weather Service said. Humidity is forecast to bottom out between 8 and 25 percent.
Edison shuts off power to thousands of customers
Southern California Edison began Public Safety Power Shutoffs as the winds developed. The utility had considered shutting off power to up to about 245,700 customers across five counties: 95,968 in Los Angeles County, 129,217 in Ventura County, 19,656 in Kern County, 12,955 in Santa Barbara County and 1,279 in Tulare County.
By Thursday afternoon, about 40,531 customers had been shut off, according to the utility’s outage information. The utility later reported shutoffs for more than 63,000 customers, including almost 58,000 in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
According to initial reports, Edison has said power can take eight hours or more to return after the winds die down because crews must inspect the lines first.
LAFD declares Red Flag Alert with parking restrictions
The Los Angeles Fire Department declared a Red Flag Alert with parking restrictions beginning at 6 a.m. Thursday. According to the department’s announcement, the restrictions last at least 48 hours, until 6 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17.
The department said a Red Flag Alert is called when the wind speed is 25 mph or more and the relative humidity is 15% or less. The restrictions apply to certain narrow streets in brush areas of the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, and vehicles illegally parked in posted locations will be towed.
LAFD explains Red Flag Days, parking rules and free notifications on its Red Flag page. The department says the city declares a Red Flag Day when conditions make the potential for a fast-moving brush fire extremely high.
Mayor Karen Bass directed LAFD to predeploy personnel and equipment, saying she is in constant communication with Chief Moore and that resources are being placed strategically to keep Angelenos and hillside communities safe. The resources include CalOES Type III engines, Air Operations personnel, brush patrols, dozer strike teams, water tenders and wildfire camera monitoring across the San Fernando Valley, Santa Monica Mountains, Hollywood Hills and West Los Angeles.
County agencies urge residents to prepare to evacuate
Los Angeles County fire, sheriff and emergency management officials urged residents to prepare in a county news release published Oct. 14. The release said gusts of 50 to 70 mph were forecast in mountain areas, with widespread gusty winds across many valleys and coastal communities. At that time it described a red flag warning running through Friday night; the Weather Service has since extended the warning through Saturday evening.
Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone urged residents to prepare immediately, citing winds capable of driving rapid wildfire growth. Sheriff Robert Luna said the department’s personnel and resources were prepared to respond quickly to emergencies.
Kevin McGowan, director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, said the county Emergency Operations Center will coordinate the county’s response and provide actionable information. The release tells residents to look up their evacuation zones through the Genasys Protect system and to register for Alert LA County.
Bryson Fire burns near Encinal Canyon Road
The Bryson Fire was 147 acres and 17% contained as of 7:38 a.m. Friday, Oct. 16, according to CAL FIRE’s incident page. The cause is under investigation.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department has jurisdiction over the fire, with a Type III Incident Management Team assigned. Mayor Bass said the fire burns outside the City of Los Angeles but that LAFD is prepared to respond and has predeployed resources.
According to initial reports, road closures included Decker Road at Encinal Canyon Road, Kanan Road at Mulholland Highway and Mulholland Highway at Westlake Boulevard.
Evacuation orders, shelters and school closures
Evacuation orders were in effect for zones KAN-U017 and SYC-U016-A, with evacuation warnings for additional zones including MAL-C113 and MAL-C114. The City of Malibu said the warnings for MAL-C113 and MAL-C114 were issued “due to a rapidly growing brush fire.”
A shelter for residents is open at Agoura High School, 28545 W. Driver Ave. in Agoura Hills. Animals can be taken to the Agoura Animal Care Center, 29525 Agoura Blvd. The city’s hotline is 310-345-2489, ext. 188.
Pacific Coast Highway remained open in both directions, the city said. Santa Monica-Malibu schools and the Boys and Girls Club were closed Friday, and four Malibu schools were shut.
The city also said Edison implemented Public Safety Power Shutoffs across central and west Malibu circuits and directed residents to the utility’s website for outage status.
Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday
The Weather Service expects winds to weaken slowly through the weekend, and the warning stays in place until 8 p.m. Saturday. LAFD’s parking restrictions last at least until 6 a.m. Saturday.
Firefighters continue to work the Bryson Fire, which has not been fully contained, and its cause remains under investigation. Edison has not announced when power will be restored to all affected customers.
