Red flag warning in the East Bay

Fire danger will loom this weekend in the East Bay hills and its interior valleys, and the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning Friday for those areas.

The warning came down just before 11 a.m. and went into effect at 11 p.m. Friday. It will last through the weekend and expire at 6 a.m. Monday.

The North Bay Hills also will be affected, according to the weather service.

The warning comes as temperatures are forecast to rise into the high 80s and 90s in areas such as

Livermore and Antioch. A dry, offshore flow blowing toward the ocean will only exacerbate the already dry conditions that have caused fire season to begin earlier than ever.

According to the weather service, winds in the danger areas will gust up to at least 35 mph and could reach 55-65 mph in the higher peaks and ridges.

“We can’t control the winds, and historically, the winds have been the problem,” Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Chris Landry said. “When the winds come, that’s when we hold our breath.”

According to the weather service, the winds will gust north to northeast, and the humidity will get lower and lower.

Landry said his department will be patrolling high-risk areas with its wildland equipment and making notes of areas that may need to be cleared of vegetation that give potential wildfires fuel.

Authorities urged people not to dispose of cigarettes or other ash and to avoid mowing the lawn and using other outdoor equipment that can create a spark in the hottest times of the day. Vehicles also should be kept off dry grass, they said.