San Diego At Risk With California Fires

As several parts of Southern California are being burned by ongoing fires, largely in Los Angeles County, parts of the more southern part of the state are at risk as well. Heading into this week, San Diego County has been put under both a red flag warning and a fire weather warning. The fires are still burning in parts of the state that are nowhere near San Diego Country; however, experts expect the weather to become dangerous once again, as evidence shows that there will be another strong Santa Ana wind event that could blow the existing fires towards the southern county. Furthermore, the wind event itself could spark up more flames, putting San Diego County at risk of its own fire.

With the fire risks, people around San Diego County will be at risk of power outages this week.

SDG&E, also know as the San Diego Gas and Electric company, sent notifications to approximately 55,000 of their customers to warn them that they may lose power sometime on Monday or Tuesday. They stated that they will be cutting power in certain areas in order to reduce the risk of wildfires if the winds are at a dangerous level. Most of the customers at risk of losing power are east of Interstate 15; however, the notices were still spread across the county.

According to the National Weather Service, the red flag warning is in effect beginning later this evening.

The official red flag warning is currently in place starting around 4 p.m. today, Monday, January 13, through to Wednesday, January 15, at 6 p.m. Weather analysts are expecting the wind to be at its peak on Wednesday. Originally, the weather forecast was showing that Tuesday was when the peaks would occur and eventually die down, but now things are looking a little bit different. The winds are expected to occur in the same mountain-to-coast pattern that the Witch Creek fire followed back in 2007. Many have expressed their concerns that the winds could cause another fire to start in this already devasted area.

This round of windstorms is expected to reach peak wind speeds of up to 50-60 miles per hour.

Firefighters advise people in the affected parts of San Diego County to have a go bag ready and packed in case there is an evacuation order issued. They advise to register with AlertSanDiego as well to keep up to date on real time updates regarding weather, fire risks, and possible fires. While a go bag can essentially have anything you may need, the firefighters suggest packing essentials such as medication for anyone in your household, including pets; chargers; electronics; first aid kits; 3 gallons of water per person; a 3-day supply of non-perishable food; a map; a change of clothes; important documents; a flashlight; and items of personal value, such as heirlooms, pictures, etc.