Los Angeles Fire Chief: Don’t use fire for heating and seek shelter!
The dangerous winds that the National Weather Service had forecast for Southern California and fire-affected areas a few days ago yesterday (Tuesday) were not strong enough to disrupt the operation to contain the massive fire in Los Angeles, but after this break, Southern California firefighters are preparing for another round of severe fires.
The National Weather Service postponed its severe fire warning until 3 a.m. local time after the predicted winds did not reach dangerous levels until yesterday evening.
The so-called “red flag” warnings from Central California to the Mexican border will remain in effect until late this evening, while firefighters are battling two large fires that have already claimed at least 25 lives.
The National Weather Service wrote in a message on social media: “The danger is not over yet.” Winds were weaker than expected today, but a stronger gust is expected tonight and into tomorrow.
While the new round of Santa Ana winds will not be as strong as last week, they are still capable of blowing burning ash for miles and starting new fires.
More than 77,000 customers in the fire-affected areas have lost power, and utilities are conducting scheduled outages to prevent new fires from starting.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other regional officials, who have come under fire for their initial response to the fires, have expressed confidence that the region is prepared to deal with the new threat.
L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marone said the winds are not expected to be as strong as last week, but they could still ground firefighting aircraft.
He has also urged homeless people to refrain from lighting fires for warmth and to seek shelter!