Severe Fires Heat Up Southern California

Due to the severity of the situation, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Images courtesy: Accuweather.com

(LOS ANGELES) - Santa Ana winds are leading to a dangerous situation in Southern California. Fires are threatening thousands of homes and leading to frantic evacuations as very dry conditions and warm air along with the gusty winds cause a significant fire threat. A strong area of high pressure anchored in the Great Basin is creating a strong pressure gradient over Southern California. This setup has been fueling strong winds above the mountains of Southern California and through and below passes. Highest gusts are expected to rake these areas at 50-75 mph. Dry and warm air is filtering across the Southwest. The relative humidity will even drop into the single digits in Southern California. The tinder-dry vegetation can act as fuel to fires already blazing and new ones that ignite, while the strong winds can quickly spread fires. The Accuweather.com Severe Weather Center has an up-to-date list of red flag warnings in effect across the area to stress that caution should be exercised with cigarette butts and sparks outside. The ridge of high pressure is expected to start weakening and shifting east today and tonight. Winds should slowly diminish tonight into Wednesday morning as a result. This will be good news for firefighters working to gain ground on fires rapidly and erratically spreading in the rugged terrain of Southern California. There are two large fires burning in Los Angeles County. The fires have caused thousands of people to be evacuated, numerous major road closures and school cancellations. The Marek Fire started on Sunday and has scorched over 4,700 acres of the West Side Little Tujna Canyon approximately 20 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. One person was discovered dead at this fire and another was injured. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the fire is only 5 percent contained, after making a large jump across the 118 Freeway, which is eight lanes. A four-vehicle crash on the 118 Freeway killed one man. The traffic had stopped because firefighters were passing by as the fire was bearing down on the highway. The other fire in Los Angeles County is the Sesnon Fire, which is burning 5,000 acres of Brows Canyon, Oat Mountain Way and Porter Ranch. The fire ignited on Monday and spread very quickly. Authorities told FoxNews that more than three dozen mobile homes have burned in the Marek Fire, and the Sesnon Fire has engulfed 19 structures with flames; some of them are homes. Due to the severity of the situation, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. A third large fire also began on Monday and is burning in San Diego County. Flames of the Juliet Fire raced across 1,500 acres and is not contained at all. Other than the fire threat, the strong winds will also cause dangerous driving conditions through the mountain passes surrounding Los Angeles and San Diego. High-profile vehicles and semi-trucks will be at risk for overturning. Winds will stir dust and sand and pose a threat to all motorists. An area that would welcome dry weather is the central and southern Plains, which has had several unsettled days in a row. According to the Southwest Regional News story, more heavy rain will fall again today as a wave of low pressure rides along the front that has been draped across the region. The area will be watched closely for flash flooding. Source: Accuweather.com