The Southland is under a red flag warning for extreme fire danger Thursday and Friday, with high winds and low humidity combining to produce the critical conditions.
The strong Santa Ana winds and hot, dry weather prompted Southern California Edison to temporarily shut off power for 172 customers in the unincorporated Los Angeles County communities of Leona Valley, Hughes Lake, Green Valley.
The utility is considering precautionary power shutoffs for more than 300,000 customers across its service territory, to de-energize power lines in danger of being damaged or downed by strong winds, potentially sparking wildfires.
The strongest gusts are expected Thursday in the mountains and the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys, according to the National Weather Service. Sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph were expected, but gusts could get up to 60 mph in the valleys and 70 mph in the mountains, the NWS said.
As of Thursday morning, more than 68,000 customers in Los Angeles County were under consideration for electricity shutoffs, SCE said. Areas in the affected zone include Azusa, Covina, Glendale, Glendora, La Canada-Flintridge, Lancaster, Palmdale, San Dimas, San Fernando, Santa Clarita, Malibu, and unincorporated areas including Rowland Heights, Vincent, Falling Springs, Leona Valley, Lake Hughes, Green Valley, Lake Elizabeth, Cantillas, Canyon Country, Lakeview Terrace, Agua Dulce, Mint Canyon, Chatsworth, Alta Dena, Acton, Singing Springs, Letteau Canyon, White Heather, and Boiling Point, Portal Ridge, Castaic, Mount Disappointment and Mount Wilson, Bell Canyon, Santa Susana, Santa Susana Knolls, La Crescenta-Montrose, Mount Baldy, San Antonio Heights, West Hills, Stevenson Ranch, Santa Clarita Woodlands Park, Along Angeles Crest Highway, Val Verde and Crescenta Valley.
In Orange County, more than 23,000 customers live in affected zones, which include Irvine, Orange, Villa Park, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Santa Ana, Tustin, Rancho Santa Margarita, and unincorporated areas including El Modena, Trabuco Canyon, and Robinson Ranch, within Irvine Regional Park, Panorama Heights, Orange Park Estates, Orange Park Acres and Coal Canyon.
Due to the critical fire conditions, the city of Los Angeles will enact red flag parking restrictions at 8 a.m. Thursday in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. The restrictions are put in place in an effort to keep streets clear of parked vehicles to ensure fire apparatus can reach brush fires, while also clearing a path for residents who may need to quickly evacuate a fire area.
Meanwhile, firefighters were battling a 45-acre brush fire in Pacific Palisades that was 55% contained Thursday morning. The 8,799-acre Saddleridge Fire in the northern San Fernando Valley was 97% contained.
The heat wave was expected to continue through Friday. The high in downtown Los Angeles was expected to be 95 degrees Thursday and 91 on Friday. Other expected highs Thursday were 95 in Van Nuys and Pasadena, 93 in West Hollywood, and 96 in Anaheim.