Record-breaking heat and dry wind spark statewide brush fire worries

Los Angeles Times (TNS) – Record-breaking heat and gusty winds expected by the weekend will prime California’s brushcovered hills and valleys for fastmoving wildfires even as crews currently battle two large blazes in the northern half of the state.

Burdened with a 72,500-acre wildfire in Yolo County and a nearly 15,000-acre blaze in Lake County, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection crews will be on high alert this weekend along with county and local fire agencies, officials said Tuesday.

“It’s summertime in Northern California, so the conditions are never great,” said Mike Kochasic, a meteorologist in Sacramento. With the exception of a three-day dip ending Friday, temperatures in the region around the fires will hover in the 90s, with wind gusts up to 30 mph and humidity below 30 percent, Kochasic said.

“It definitely does dry things. It’s a concern right around the holiday,” he added, referring to the Fourth of July.

“All the vegetation now is extremely stressed, and they’re all vying for that little bit of moisture that is out there,” said Calfire spokesman Scott Mclean. “It’s just a recipe for wildland fires.”

In Southern California, recordbreaking heat this weekend will amplify fire risks, said Keily Delerme, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard.

Delerme said it could inch toward triple digits in downtown Los Angeles on Friday when the heat record for that date is 88 degrees. The valleys could peak at 112 degrees over the weekend.

Desert winds blasting toward the ocean are expected to keep any hint of a cool ocean breeze in check, she added.

In the meantime, scores of residents near the County Fire in Yolo County remain under evacuation orders.