Wildfire Risk Remains High In Southland, Red Flag Warning In Place

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – With Orange County recovering from the devastating Canyon Fire 2 -- which destroyed or damaged dozens of homes and scorched more than 9,200 acres in Anaheim Hills--conditions throughout Southern California are keeping the risk of another such wildfire high.

A Red Flag warning is in effect through 10 a.m. Saturday due to wind gusts of up to 30 miles per hour and humidity levels in the teens and single digits. The National Weather Service warning applies to the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, along with the mountain ranges in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

"If fire ignition occurs, there will be the potential for rapid spread of wildfire and extreme fire behavior that would lead to a threat to life and property," the NWS reports.

On Saturday morning, the Red Flag Warning will then be replaced by a Fire Weather Watch for most areas of Ventura and L.A. counties through 6 p.m. Sunday.

"All of the Southland is under a Fire Weather Watch, which means we could see come conditions that could easily spark some of those fires, with some gusty winds out of the Northeast," CBS2 Meteorologist Craig Herrera said.

The Canyon Fire 2 that has burned 9,217 acres was 65 percent contained Friday morning. The fire broke out Monday near the 91 Freeway east of Gypsum Canyon Road. The fire has destroyed 25 structures and damaged 48 more.

The Canyon Fire 2 erupted about a mile from the area scorched by the recent Canyon Fire, which broke out Sept. 25 and blackened more than 2,600 acres.