Red Flag Warning issued with wildfire risks expected in LA, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties

As a sweltering heat wave grips the Southern California region, forecasters are warning of the risk for wildfires in parts of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties with a red flag warning issued for the rest of the week.

The advisory is in effect for mostly mountain areas of the counties from noon Thursday until 10 p.m. Saturday. It runs across a roughly 200-mile distance extending from Central to Southern California, affecting areas of LA County all the way up north to San Luis Obispo County. Forecasters are telling people who live in areas prone to wildfires to be ready to flee.

"The environment is ripe for any new fires to grow fast and behave erratically," the National Weather Service in Los Angeles said. "Avoid using anything that can spark a fire. Be SET to evacuate if you live in a high fire risk area."

The National Weather Service is telling people to be careful with potential fire sources like cigarettes, campfires, lawn mowers and fireworks, saying these things have all started wildfires in the past. "Some things are not worth repeating," the weather service said in a post.

In fact, Riverside police arrested two teenagers this week on suspicion of starting a wildfire with illegal fireworks, with the blaze destroying and damaging several homes earlier this summer. The Hawarden Fire scorched more than 500 acres in July and led to evacuations, at one point threatening up to 1,500 homes before firefighters managed to contain it. 

With the current red flag warning, forecasters have indicated that mountain areas and southern parts of Santa Barbara County are at especially high risk. Earlier this year, that part of Southern California was the site of the Lake Fire, which became the third-largest wildfire in California so far this year after burning nearly 39,000 acres.

On Thursday night, the Line Fire broke out in the San Bernardino National Forest and burned through more than 500 acres, triggering evacuations warnings as firefighters battled the blaze in scorching heat. 

Temperatures reached the triple-digits in many parts of the Los Angeles area Thursday with downtown LA seeing the hottest day of the year as an afternoon high surpassed 100 degrees. Meanwhile, it reached 119 degrees in Woodland Hills.

An excessive heat warning affecting parts of SoCal from San Luis Obispo County all the way down to San Diego County is in effect until Monday night.

Forecasters warned that the peak of the heat wave has yet to be seen, with even higher temperatures expected later Friday.

Cal Fire officials have advised people in wildfire-prone areas of LA, Ventura, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, as well as residents in the Santa Ynez Mountains, to take certain precautions.

Tips on how to prepare, from creating an emergency action plan and getting your go bag ready to protecting your home through gardening techniques and retrofitting, can all be found here.