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Extreme Heat, Two Wildfires, And Potential Mudslide Risk...On Top Of Coronavirus. It's LA 2020.
A firefighter watches the smoke and flames from the Ranch Fire in the hills in Azusa, California, on August 14, 2020, 25 miles (40kms) east of Los Angeles. (Photo by Apu GOMES / AFP)
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It's gonna be hot this weekend. Like reeaally hot.
Temperatures could hit 108 degrees in the valleys, a hellish nightmare, especially for folks without AC.
That heat, plus critically dry brush and some moderate wind gusts, have fire officials warning the risk for fires is extreme. Yes, we're saying this weekend there will be extreme heat and extreme fire risk.
Already this week, two fires in the forest, the Lake Fire and the Ranch 2 Fire have burned through thousands of acres and forced evacuations. More than 5,000 homes are still threatened in the Lake Hughes area.
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Officials say some of the terrain near the Lake Fire hasn't burned since 1968, which is why it's more difficult to contain.
Some of the Angeles National Forest has now been closed through the end of the year — that’s because the risk of more fires is just so high.
The order impacts the Cottonwood, Spunky Canyon, and Sawmill-Liebre campgrounds, along with a small section of the Pacific Crest Trail, about 13,000-14,000 acres total (which is only 1% of the forest as a whole).
"Closing an area is never an easy choice. However, it is our responsibility to continue to protect our communities before and after the fire as well as heal the land as quickly as possible," said Rachel Smith, Angeles National Forest Deputy Forest Supervisor.
Forest officials say if conditions get better, they plan to use the closure to do needed improvements to prepare for the next possible disaster: mudslides.
We ... can't even process that right now.
If you are planning on going elsewhere in Angeles Nat. Forest this weekend, officials are not allowing anycampfires, camp stoves, or BBQ's. In other words, please don't light anything on fire.
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TIPS ON STAYING COOL AND SANE:
How (And Where) To Get Relief As LA Goes Into A Brutally Hot Weekend
How To Survive The Heat In LA: Hacks And Tips For Staying Cool Without Air Conditioning
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