Record-breaking heat has returned to California as the state prepares for a sweltering weekend marked by Santa Ana winds and extreme fire danger.
New highs for the date were set Thursday in Long Beach, Oxnard, Santa Barbara and Santa Maria. Temperatures hit the mid- to high 90s across Southern California. Downtown Los Angeles reached 96 degrees — not a record, but still above normal for October.
The hot temperatures, dry and windy conditions are triggering warnings of high fire danger across the state.
The U.S. Forest Service has implemented 24-hour firefighter staffing. The Los Angeles County Fire Department has beefed up many of its firefighting crews from three to four people and stationed extra equipment in strategic locations.
“We’ve got wind, heat, the perfect combination, everything in alignment for a potential brushfire,” fire Capt. Rich Moody said Friday as he and his crew patrolled a Southern California hillside.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is urging people to set thermostats at 78 degrees.
Agencies/Canadajournal
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