California, Jan 22 (IANS) Millions of Southern Californian residents have been advised to limit outdoor activities due to bad air quality amid devastating wildfires, according to the US National Weather Service (NWS).
The NWS has issued several air quality alerts covering the South Coast Air Basin, Coachella Valley and eastern Riverside County, reports Xinhua news agency.
Very strong Santa Ana winds and extreme fire weather have been forecasted for portions of Los Angeles and Ventura counties starting Monday.
Stronger and more widespread Santa Ana winds are expected overnight to the typical wind-prone areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, according to the NWS Los Angeles.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a windblown dust and ash advisory due to strong Santa Ana winds expected throughout the region through Tuesday evening.
The NWS has issued Red Flag Warnings, High Wind Warnings, and Wind Advisories for much of the area.
Last week, local authorities confirmed that fierce wildfires across Southern California have killed at least 27 people and destroyed at least 12,300 structures after more than a week.
The Palisades Fire, the largest active wildfire in the Los Angeles region, has scorched 23,713 acres (95.96 square km). The fire, which broke out on January 7, is 31 per cent contained, up from 22 per cent early Thursday.
“Overnight and this morning, cooler temperatures, light winds and good humidity were observed,” said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) in an update Friday morning, adding that “Crews continue to establish and improve containment lines to minimise fire spread around structures that are within the controlled areas, as well as provide for the safety of the public and incident personnel.”
Another major active fire, the Eaton Fire, was 65 per cent contained as of Friday morning, up from 55 per cent a day earlier. The deadly fire has burned 14,117 acres (57.1 square km) near Altadena and Pasadena.
Cal Fire said that firefighters continue to work on constructing and improving containment lines in steep, inaccessible terrain in the area.
The fire’s containment continues to grow, and the fire is expected to stay within its current footprint, according to Cal Fire.
Local officials said as many as 11,000 residents would be able to return to their neighbourhoods after some evacuation orders were lifted on Thursday. But people are required to show proof of residency to access the areas while some other zones devastated by the wildfires will still not open to the public.
