By Nathaniel Percy | npercy@scng.com | Southern California News Group
Another "potentially dangerous situation red flag warning" was set to hit Southern California with strong winds Monday afternoon, Jan. 20, as fire crews brace for the potential of new wildfires while still working to contain two of the most devastating fires in the history of Los Angeles County.
The third such official warning this month was "unprecedented for this area," National Weather Service meteorologist James White said during a morning briefing on the Eaton fire. It was set to start at noon and continue until 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21.
White said this windstorm would fall between the first two - weaker than the one on Jan. 7, when the fire erupted, but stronger than a second round last week that fell below forecasters' expectations.
"We're expecting today two main concerns -- one is that it's going to get dry very, very quickly," White said. "The second thing we're expecting is strong northeast winds."
By noon, the relative humidity could be about 20%, White said, with the potential to drop to 10% or so later in the afternoon.
Peak wind gusts could reach upward of 70 mph in coastal and valley areas and 100 mph in the mountains, according to the NWS.
Fire officials battling both the Eaton and Palisades fires said they were prepared in the event of a new fire or the expansion of an existing one. Firefighters and equipment are positioned in high-risk areas within the county and additional resources sit poised at a mobilization center in Beaumont, ready to deploy.
But firefighting planes and helicopters could be grounded if the winds kick up beyond 30 to 40 mph.
"That limits what the aircraft can do," said Dennis Burns, fire-behavior analyst on the Eaton fire.
Robert Garcia, fire chief for the U.S. Forest Service, said there were no current plans to ground aircraft. Pilots, however, will monitor the wind at their takeoff points and in the area of their assignments.
The windstorm will arrive as fire crews continued making progress and try to increase containment on both the Eaton and Palisades fires.
Aircraft continued to assist firefighters battling the Eaton by extinguishing hot spots in steep terrain near Winters Creek, Mt. Lowe and Mt. Wilson, Angeles National Forest officials said on Monday. That fire was now 87% contained, 6% higher than the previous evening.
Officials also slightly downgraded the destroyed acreage from the fire, which now stands at 14,021, nearly 100 acres less than what had been reported for most of last week, due to "better flights and sights" on the fire, officials said.
Near the coast, the Palisades fire was 59% contained as of Monday morning, Jan. 20, up from 52% the evening before, as firefighters continue to make steady progress, Cal Fire officials said.
"Stay alert as the danger has not yet passed," Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said.
Both fires ignited on Jan. 7 during the first windstorm with peak gusts up to 100 mph in the western San Gabriel Mountains.
The Eaton fire has damaged or destroyed more than 10,000 structures, according to the latest numbers from the Angeles National Forest. Damage assessments had been completed for 98% of all structures within the fire's perimeter, officials said.
More than 6,800 were damaged or destroyed by the Palisades fire, according to Cal Fire's latest update, though it was unclear how many structures within the fire's perimeter had yet to be checked.
While some residents have been allowed to return home, thousands remained under evacuation orders as officials continue to mitigate the dangers and search for missing persons. At least 27 deaths have been attributed for both fires combined so far, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
The fires are expected to be the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history by the time all of the damage is assessed.