An “extreme red flag warning” has been issued in southern California, marking the first such alert of its kind.
The warning, issued by the Los Angeles weather service, covers Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties.
The red flag morning– means winds, temperatures and humidity are ripe for fire danger. It’s an extreme red flag warning.
The winds are expected to reach 80mph (128kmph) and there is concern they will help the fire, which has already burned through 658 acres, spread.
The weather service in using the term for the first time to convey that the fire conditions expected this week “have not been seen in recent memory.”
“Extreme red flag is not a grade, but it was super important that we get the residents’ attention,”the weather service office said. “This is the fourth event that we’ve had, it’s been a very long, dry spell. And there’s no rain in sight.”
More than 26 million people from California to Arizona are under red flag warnings Tuesday as firefighters deal with blazes already burning in California’s wine country and in the Los Angeles area.
Some 1,100 firefighters are tackling the fire and over 10,000 structures are at risk, authorities say.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said that the more than 7,000 residents evacuated so far should not plan on returning home until conditions are safe.
In Los Angeles, the Getty Fire has destroyed at least eight homes since flaring up, officials say.
The area affected, west of Interstate 405, is known for its celebrities and high-value homes. Basketball star LeBron James and actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger are among those who have evacuated their homes.
The Kincade Fire, the state’s largest active wildfire, has scorched more than 76,100 acres in and around Northern California’s Sonoma County since last week.
