Red Flag warning over Mountain Fire area lifted, winds die down but conditions still "very dry"
After powerful Santa Ana winds and low humidity fueled the spread of the Mountain Fire, a Red Flag warning over the area of Ventura County devastated by the wildfire was lifted Friday.
Weather conditions are improving as winds die down and humidity climbs up, reaching an expected 18 to 20 percent by Saturday and 22 to 24 percent by Sunday. Earlier this week, humidity forecasts in the area had dropped to 8 to 15 percent, especially dry weather they said can lead to wildfires as they issued a "Particularly Dangerous Situation" Red Flag warning, a rare, severe weather advisory.
Upon issuing the warning Tuesday, National Weather Service Los Angeles said the conditions could result in the sparking of wildfires in the valleys and coastal areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with the potential for "rapid fire spread, extreme fire behavior."
A day later, the Mountain Fire sparked in the Somis area of Ventura County.
As winds swept the flames, it exploded to 14,000 acres within a day, injuring people escaping the quickly moving blaze and destroying dozens of homes in its path. Thousands remain under evacuation orders Friday after the wildfire burned more than 20,000 acres — an area spanning about 32 square miles — within two days.
The mountain areas of Ventura County remained under a Red Flag warning until 11 a.m. Friday while other Red Flag warnings in surrounding areas of LA and Ventura counties were lifted earlier.
However, given widespread smoke and ash from the wildfire, areas of neighboring Los Angeles County are facing an air quality advisory spanning from Malibu to Burbank that's warning of fine particle pollution in the air.
"Particles in wildfire smoke can get deep into the lungs and cause serious health problems such as heart attacks, strokes, asthma attacks, and difficulty breathing," the National Weather Service advisory said. "Everyone can be affected but people with lung or heart disease, older adults, people who are pregnant, children, and those who spend a lot of time outdoors are at greater risk."
