High Fire Danger Warnings Issued for Southern California

Strong Santa Ana winds lash Sun Valley, Calif., on Nov. 16, 2022, in a still from video. CNN/Screenshot via NTD

Officials from San Luis Obispo to Palm Springs and San Diego are warning of high fire danger on Dec. 9, closing one highway near the coastal enclave of Malibu in preparation for the “particularly dangerous situation.”

The National Weather Service issued “red-flag warnings” and fire-weather watches for most of California, which started Sunday and was expected to last until 2 p.m. Wednesday.

According to forecasters, the most critical fire danger was expected to hit most of the state from 10 p.m. Monday to 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Energy providers were considering public safety power shutoffs to lessen the risk of sparking fires.

Southern California Edison (SCE), which provides energy to more than 15 million in the region, may have to shut off power to about 250,000 customers during the wind event.

“We understand that anytime customers lose power, it presents a hardship,” SCE spokesperson Gabriella Ornelas told The Epoch Times on Monday. “We do try to limit the scope for shutoffs to only the areas of strongest winds, and we work quickly to restore service as quickly as it’s safe for us to do so.”

Ventura County could see more than 68,000 electrical cutoffs, along with more than 43,000 in Los Angeles County, 10,000 in Orange County, 64,000 in Riverside County, nearly 62,000 in San Bernardino, and 3,800 in Kern County.

The power company encouraged customers in the region to pick up loose articles or anything that could be lifted by strong winds to prevent them from damaging power infrastructure.

Officials have closed Topanga Canyon Road, which runs from Stoney Point Park in Chatsworth and south to Pacific Palisades, between Malibu and Santa Monica.

From Highway 101 to Pacific Coast Highway, where Topanga Canyon ends, the roadway winds through the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

According to the Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness, a volunteer emergency preparedness organization, local residents will be the only drivers allowed on Topanga Canyon from noon Monday through 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Forecasters predict Santa Ana winds to sweep through the Southern California region, bringing very low humidity to the San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Clarita Valley, Ventura County coasts and valleys, and western San Fernando Valley.

Several residents are still waiting to return to their homes after the destructive Mountain Fire consumed 243 structures starting on Nov. 6, 2024, in Ventura County. Cal Fire

Southern California’s Inland Empire, which includes Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties, is under a red flag warning. Forecasters expect winds to gust from 35 to 50 miles per hour in the region, while the Banning and Cajon passes could see gusts reach 60 miles per hour, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Adam Roser in San Diego.

“We could see some gusty winds in those pass areas,” Roser told The Epoch Times.

The winds were starting to pick up at about 11:30 a.m. on Monday and could reach peak speeds Monday night into Tuesday afternoon, he said.

Roser added that, along the Southern California coastline, the winds are expected to pick up, but not to a speed that triggered any warnings.

“But it will still be very dry, so the fire threat is elevated,” he said.

Moving north in Los Angeles County, weather service forecasters expected a particularly dangerous situation from Monday night through Tuesday morning.

According to the weather service’s warning, wind gusts could reach 50 to 80 miles per hour, causing downed trees and power outages in Los Angeles County.

The weather could also cause hazardous crosswinds and driving conditions, they said.

“Use extreme caution with any potential ignition sources,” the National Weather Service warned.

In the San Francisco area, wind gusts were expected to reach up to 45 miles per hour in eastern Napa County and up to 35 miles per hour in the Bay Area starting late Monday night, the weather service warned.

On Nov. 6, during the region’s last major Santa Ana wind event, dubbed the Mountain Fire, a spark set off a fast-moving fire in Ventura County. The blaze destroyed 243 homes and buildings and damaged 127 structures. Six fire personnel and civilians were injured during the event.