A trio of brush fires continued burning around the Southland Monday amid the lingering heat wave, prompting public health and pollution-control officials to warn residents about poor air quality in valley and mountain areas.
Smoke from the Lincoln, Warm and Cabin fires was taking a toll on air quality in the San Gabriel Mountains and Santa Clarita and San Gabriel valleys, where the South Coast Air Quality Management District warned that air quality could reach unhealthful levels.
The AQMD issued a smoke advisory, warning people downwind of the fires to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary outdoor activity. People with respiratory or heart conditions were particularly being warned to take precautions.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued an air quality advisory for an even broader area, including the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys, the eastern and western San Gabriel valley and the San Gabriel Mountains.
The county’s interim health officer, Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, urged residents to minimize outdoor activities. He also advised that schools should exempt children with heart disease, asthma and other respiratory diseases from outdoor physical activity.
Fire crews were working on the ground and in the air to fully contain the three fires burning around the area.
The 225-acre Lincoln Fire that broke out Sunday in the Montebello area was 60 percent contained as of this morning. A transient suspected of sparking the blaze remains in custody.
The Warm Fire, which erupted Sunday afternoon in Angeles National Forest northeast of Castaic was only 10 percent contained, having scorched about 300 acres and destroyed six structures.
Meanwhile, the 1,723-acre Cabin Fire, which has been burning since Friday in the Angeles National Forest hills north of Glendora and Azusa was about 84 percent contained.
Fire crews reported that an increase in humidity overnight aided the various fire fights.
National Weather Service forecasters warned, however, that despite the overnight rise in humidity and slow fizzling of the heat wave, elevated fire conditions will linger for a few more days.
“Strong high pressure aloft will continue to slowly slide to the west off the coast through the end of the week, bringing a gradual cooling trend,” according to the NWS. “Slightly improved but still hot and dry conditions will continue away from the coast through at least the middle of the week.
“High temperatures will mainly be between 95 and 105 today then in the 90s. Humidities will continue to lower to 8 to 15 percent, with continued poor overnight recoveries. Meanwhile, gusty westerly winds will peak today then remain breezy through the middle of the week over the interior areas, maintaining near-critical conditions.”
—City News Service