Wildfire Firefighting Crews Staged In High-Risk LA County Areas Ahead Of Heatwave

LOS ANGELES, CA — As what's expected to be the most significant heat wave of the summer descends on Southern California, state officials are staging firefighting resources in high-risk areas of Los Angeles County in preparation for heightened wildfire risk.

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services on Tuesday approved the following resource pre-deployment in the county, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced:

• 10 fire engines
• two water tenders
• two bulldozers
• one helicopter
• two hand crews
• three dispatchers
• one incident management team

“California is taking proactive steps to get ahead of upcoming fire weather,” Cal OES Director Nancy Ward said. “By prepositioning firefighting crews, equipment, and other resources in high-risk areas, we can respond faster and more effectively when needed. This strategy is about protecting lives, property, and communities by ensuring help is ready when it’s needed most.”

Cal Fire officials also said they're ready to respond throughout the state amid the increased wildfire risk.

The heatwave is set to start Wednesday and last through the weekend. Temperatures will range from the upper 90s along the coast to well over 100 inland as high pressure moves in from the east, creating "a high risk for heat illness and fire danger," National Weather Service meteorologists said.

Extreme temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions prompted the NWS to issue Red Flag warnings to parts of the San Gabriel and Ventura county mountains, along with the Santa Clarita Valley.

The state's new CalHeatScore — which grades heat-risk conditions from 0 to 4 — indicates that much of inland Los Angeles County will experience a "severe" heat day on Thursday.