A weather system moving into Southern California is expected to bring another lengthy heat wave and dry lightning to the region, increasing fire danger and prompting the National Weather Service to issue fire-danger warnings in several counties Aug. 1.
The weather service issued a red-flag warning, specifically for increased risk of fire, Thursday for Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties, and the Santa Clarita Valley. A series of thunderstorms were expected to bring rain to the area through Saturday.
Some of the thunderstorms were not expected to produce rain, making the lightning strikes more capable of igniting fires, the weather service reported.
“Considering the recent extended heat waves and rapidly drying fuels, a significant fire-weather risk will exist,” the weather service said in the warning.
The state’s largest fire, named the Park fire in Butte and Tehama counties, which has burned 614 square miles—nearly 150 square miles larger than the City of Los Angeles—was 18 percent contained Thursday.
The fire remained mostly active in the northeast section of Tehama County.
“Today will mark the first of several days where fire weather will become increasingly critical,” Cal Fire wrote in an update Thursday.
Temperatures in the area were expected to rise from the upper 90s to the low 100s. Daytime humidity was also expected to fall to the upper teens Thursday.
A heat dome predicted to enter the area Friday and linger into Saturday could bring thunderstorms and erratic winds to the fire region, according to Cal Fire.
In the Lassen National Forest, located just east of the fire, winds were expected to increase Thursday ahead of the forecasted thunderstorms.
The fire has destroyed 485 homes and buildings and damaged 47 other structures as of Thursday afternoon.
Further south, the Nixon fire in Riverside County had grown to just over eight square miles by Thursday morning, according to Cal Fire.
The fire, which is 14 percent contained, did not grow overnight and was burning mostly interior pockets of dried vegetation, authorities said.
“Moisture will increase through Friday as monsoonal flows develop over the fire area, with a chance of producing thunderstorms and lightning,” Cal Fire wrote in a morning update Thursday. “Firefighters will remain engaged to ensure the fire remains within its perimeter.”
Several evacuation orders and warnings remained in place Thursday in Riverside and San Diego counties.
