The National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard has issued a red flag warning and a fire weather watch ranging from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles — including a large swath of Santa Barbara County’s interior mountains — with heat, winds, and low humidity creating prime weather for fire on Friday.
“If fire ignition occurs, conditions are favorable for extreme fire behavior which would threaten life and property,” according to the NWS alert.
The warning goes into effect at 3 a.m. on Friday and is set to expire at 6 p.m. that night. The NWS forecasts for Santa Barbara predict humidity minimums as low as 8-15 percent and an easterly wind between 15-25 miles per hour, with gusts up to 40 miles per hour.
Concurrently, the NWS has also announced a heat advisory for temperatures up to 95 degrees for Santa Barbara County starting 10 a.m. Thursday until 8 p.m. on Saturday. This announcement prompted the County of Santa Barbara Health Department to issue a Health Alert urging residents to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned locations, and to be sure to care for the elderly, young children, and pets.
Red Flag Warning in effect from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday. | Credit: Courtesy National Weather Service Los Angeles 
Fire Weather Watch in effect from Friday morning to evening. | Credit: Courtesy National Weather Service 
Heat advisory in effect from 10 a.m. Thursday to 8 p.m. Saturday. | Creidt: Courtesy National Weather Service
Southern California Edison has issued Public Safety Power Shutoff alerts due to high fire risk that could lead to power being shut off starting Thursday for residents in Gaviota, Goleta, Santa Barbara, Montecito, and Carpinteria. These shutoffs could affect up to about 13,000 customers countywide.
Pacific Gas & Electric has Santa Barbara County under watch on Friday and, “due to high winds and dry conditions, a shutoff is likely,” according to their website.
Santa Barbara County Fire is upstaffing for the weather event and asking members of the public to avoid hiking, using tools and machinery in grass covered areas, and other “spark-producing activities,” in red flag areas on Friday.
County Fire Captain Michael Gray encourages the public to be prepared with Personal Wildfire Action Plans, including emergency evacuation routes, and to sign up for emergency alerts at readysbc.org.
