The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for parts of the Bay Area as an intense heat wave, with temperatures north of 100 degrees, has left wooded areas tinder dry.
The warning of increased fire risk is in effect until 9 a.m. Saturday morning for the East Bay Hills, Santa Cruz mountains and higher terrain across the Central Coast.
These areas will see little relief from hot and dry conditions until then.
Nicole Sarment, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office, says the recent heat wave, coupled with low overnight humidity, created conditions that warranted the warning.
“We saw relative humidities as low as 1%, and we’re obviously still very hot and dry,” she told KQED. “Fuels are critically dry. So really, everything is just conducive for fire spread.”
Sarment warned people to avoid outdoor fires and barbecues and not to drive or park their cars on dry vegetation, which has sparked several fires this year.
The heat wave has prompted the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to call a Spare the Air alert for Saturday.
The district says they expect unhealthy levels of ozone pollution at ground level. People can avoid making the situation worse by not driving unnecessarily.
North of the Bay Area, evacuations are underway in Lake County as the fast-moving Glenhaven Fire torched more than 220 acres near the city of Clearlake. The wildfire touched off around 11:37 a.m. Friday.
Officials set up a temporary evacuation point in Lucerne at the Lucerne Senior Center located at 3985 Country Club Dr.
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