Although crews were able to contain the largest fires, authorities warned that incoming winds could lead to “potentially catastrophic wind conditions,” leaving all of LA County exposed to fire.
“Unfortunately, we’re moving back into red flag conditions with potentially catastrophic winds between now and Wednesday, with the highest winds expected to be on Tuesday,” Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin told the BBC.
“Although we are making some progress, the end is not even close yet,” he said.
The National Weather Service has issued a rare ‘Extremely Hazardous Situation’ warning for Tuesday, warning of “extreme fire behavior” – lasting from 04:00 local time until midday Wednesday.
LA City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley urged residents near evacuation zones to be prepared to flee if the order is issued and to stay off the roads as much as possible so as not to disturb crews.
Despite the dire forecast, all schools except those in mandatory evacuation zones will reopen Monday, the LA Unified School District announced.
Topanga Canyon resident Alice Husum, 67, told the BBC that the new fire that broke out in the area overnight was quickly contained, but that she and her neighbors were “apprehensive from Tuesday” when wind speeds were likely to be at their highest.
But Ms. Husum, who stayed behind despite evacuation orders, notes that the forecast is “a little better than the 100-mile gusts that were weighing on us” earlier this week.
New fires continued to rage Sunday, threatening communities in the San Fernando Valley and near NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Firefighters on Sunday managed to quickly contain the spread of new fires in the Angeles National Forest, which surround a facility at the heart of the US space program that contains top-secret technology.
