Heat, possible thunderstorms bring increased fire threat to Southern California this weekend

Hot inland temperatures combined with possible thunderstorms have officials concerned about the threat of wildfires this weekend.

“We are not just in a fire season, but we are in a fire year,” Joe Tyler, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said at a recent news conference. “Our winds and the recent heat wave have exacerbated the issue, consuming thousands of acres. So we need to be extra cautious.”

An excessive heat warning is in place for parts of Los Angeles , Ventura, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Elevated to critical fire weather will be focused across the mountains, deserts and interior valleys, according to the National Weather Service .

“We had an abundance of rain this year and we have all of that brush. Now we have some hot and windy conditions, and the chance of thunderstorms,” KTLA meteorologist Henry DiCarlo said Friday. “That’s why we’re extending the threat of fire concerns this weekend.”

Meanwhile, the Vista Fire burning in the Angeles National Forest left Mt. Baldy Resort closed and under an evacuation order Friday.

The fire had burned approximately 2,700 acres as of Thursday morning.

So far this year, the state has responded to more than 3,500 wildfires that have scorched nearly 325 square miles (842 square kilometers) — five times the average burned through July 10 in each of the past five years, Tyler said.

Temperatures are expected to cool next week with afternoon highs remaining closer to average.

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