Firefighters around Los Angeles were preparing on Tuesday to attack flare-ups or new blazes. The National Weather Service issued a rare warning that dry winds combined with severely dry conditions created a “ particularly dangerous situation,” indicating that any new fire could explode in size. The warning comes a week after two massive infernos destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people.
Here’s the latest:
FEMA says misinformation about government assistance after the fires is being spread deliberately
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency says officials have seen the deliberate spreading of misinformation related to government assistance after the wildfires in Los Angeles in ways similar to what occurred following Hurricane Helene’s devastation in North Carolina last year.
“We are seeing that,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said when President Joe Biden asked about misinformation during a White House briefing on the wildfires.
Biden asked a similar question of U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. He responded, “There’s always rumors with large fires like this, Mr. President.”
Criswell said that, if winds intensify overnight and exacerbate still-burning fires, state and county officials have systems that send alerts to the cell phones of people in evacuation zones.
Small airborne embers play a big role in the spread of wildfires
While authorities still don’t know what sparked the deadly fires in the Los Angeles area, they do know one clear way the flames have spread: embers.
Contrary to popular belief, experts say most homes destroyed by wildfires aren’t overcome by a racing wall of flames, but rather burn after being ignited by airborne embers.
Wind allows embers to burn harder and release more energy, becoming a more potent ignition source, said James Urban, an assistant professor in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The burning pieces of debris then accumulate and sort of work together, gathering between the slats of wood fences or in shrubbery and igniting new fires.
▶Read more about embers and their role in the fires burning around LA
Contaminated drinking water is a growing concern for cities facing wildfires
As fires continue to burn across Los Angeles, several utilities have declared their drinking water unsafe until extensive testing can prove otherwise.
A warmer, drier climate means wildfires are getting worse, and encroaching on cities — with devastating impact. Toxic chemicals from those burns can get into damaged drinking water systems, and even filtering or boiling won’t help, experts say.
Last week, Pasadena Water and Power issued a “Do Not Drink” notice to about a third of its customers for the first time since it began distributing water more than a century ago. With at least one burned pump, several damaged storage tanks, and burned homes, they knew there was a chance toxic chemicals had entered their pipes.
“Out of the abundance of caution, you kind of have to assume the worst,” said Stacie Takeguchi, chief assistant general manager for the utility.
This week, they lifted the notice for most of the area after testing.
▶ Read more about how the fires are impacting drinking water
High winds have worsened California wildfires. What makes them?
High winds have been a key ingredient in the devastating wildfires around Los Angeles.
Southern California’s winds typically flow onshore from the Pacific, carrying moist air onto land. The Santa Ana winds are warm currents that move in the opposite direction.
Santa Ana winds typically occur from September through May, and they are so dry that they’ve been linked with some of the worst wildfires the region has ever seen, in part because the lack of humidity in the air contributes to vegetation quickly drying.
▶Read more about how these wildfire-fanning winds occur
Here’s where things stand on Tuesday morning
A beefed-up firefighting force was staged around Los Angeles to attack flare-ups or new blazes and anxious residents prepared for more fire danger as winds began to build Tuesday, a week after two massive infernos destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people.
Dry winds gusted early Tuesday to 40 mph (64 kilometers per hour) in coastal and valley areas and 50 miles per hour (80 kph) in the mountains, said meteorologist Todd Hall of the National Weather Service. Gusts up to 65 mph (105 kph) were forecast to continue through midday Wednesday.
The weather service issued a rare warning that the winds combined with severely dry conditions created a “particularly dangerous situation” indicating that any new fire could explode in size. Hall said the conditions could lead to extreme fire behavior that could spread embers 2 to 3 miles (3 to 5 kilometers) ahead of flames or even cause fire tornadoes.
▶ Read more about what firefighters are preparing for
