Crews Prepare As Red Flag Warning Takes Effect Friday, Brings Elevated Fire Danger

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - Firefighters have been working to get ahead of the first red flag warning of the fall for Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.

Strong Santa Ana winds, hot temperatures and low humidity were expected to arrive Friday. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for most of the region which took effect at 6 a.m. Friday, and will remain in place through at least 8 p.m. Saturday.

While fire crews have made good progress on the Alisal fire burning for a fifth day in Santa Barbara County, this latest warning could cause additional problems.

"We can see really explosive fire behavior when you align that wind with that continuous fuel bed and topography that's difficult to get into and engage," Angeles National Forest Fire Chief Robert Garcia said Thursday.

The Angeles National Forest has already shutdown Chaney Trail in Altadena, which leads to many popular hiking spots because of the red flag fire weather.

"It's frustrating when the trail's closed, but I see a lot of people up here who aren't very smart about what they're doing," runner Jay Fisher said.

Fisher, who runs in the area often, said it would be a shame to see another wildfire sparked by irresponsible behavior.

"I'd like to think that we're not just going to end up with a destroyed moonscape of wilderness," he said.

However, the forest service is prepared for a worst case scenario.

"We brought some additional resources in to augment our local resources, including resources from as far away as Arizona," Garcia said, "and we prepositioned them throughout the national forest to boost staffing in some of the high risk areas."

Some of those firefighters are currently working on the Alisal fire in the Los Padres National Forest, but can be redirected as needed.

The LA County Fire Department said its battalion chiefs are prepping their crews, making sure they're ready to pre-deploy all of their resources, so they can quickly stomp out any potential brush fires before they take off.

County fire also said while the LA basin will have high fire danger Friday, they're most concerned about areas at higher elevations, like the Santa Monica Mountains, the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys and the high country toward Gorman.