SLO County faces high fire danger as powerful winds, big waves hit Central Coast
Firefighters in San Luis Obispo County were busy Monday as powerful winds and high surf hit the Central Coast.
Early Monday morning, a vegetation fire was sparked in the Nipomo riverbed near the Santa Maria bridge, according to Pulsepoint.
The South County fire quickly spread to abut seven acres before it was contained, Cal Fire SLO reported.
A second San Luis Obispo County vegetation fire began in Pismo Beach on Price Canyon Road and Thousand Hills Road at 11:47 a.m. Monday, just before a Red Flag warning went into effect, according to PulsePoint.
The National Weather Service issued the Red Flag warning on Monday for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, due to a Santa Ana wind event that’s forecast to last through Tuesday morning.
The agency, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, also issued wind and high surf advisories.
Santa Ana winds were expected to bring powerful northeast to east winds of 20 to 35 mph into San Luis Obispo County on Monday. Gusts of up to 60 mph were expected in the hills Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
“Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects and make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles,” the agency warned. “Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.”
Although Cal Fire firefighters were able to extinguish the flames in Pismo Beach within an hour of the fire starting, the Pismo Beach Police Department said officers evacuated residents on Canyon Lane.
Price Canyon Road at Lemoore Avenue was slated to be closed for several hours, according to California Highway Patrol logs. Officers also asked that people avoid the area.
It’s unclear how large the Pismo Beach blaze grew.
According to PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey, the high winds would “produce clear skies, low relative humidity levels, and cold mornings with mild to warm afternoons throughout the Central Coast.”
According to Lindsey, many San Luis Obispo County locations have had less rain than usual for this time of year — creating ideal conditions for wildfires.
“So far, most locations have received less than a quarter of normal precipitation to date,” Lindsey wrote. “These winds coupled with dry fuels will lead to elevated fire weather concerns.”
Red Flag warnings are issued due threatening fire conditions caused by low humidity and high winds, according to the National Weather Service.
In a Facebook post, the San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services warned locals of the “widespread critical fire weather. The agency advised people to have an evacuation plan in place and told them to avoid using equipment that can cause a spark.
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The wind advisory was slated to begin at noon Monday and the Red Flag Warning will go into effect two hours later. Both the Red Flag warning and wind advisory will expire Tuesday morning around 9 a.m.
However, the high winds will affect ocean waves through Wednesday.
A high surf advisory, in effect from noon to 9 p.m. Monday, warns of 10 to 16-foot breaking waves and rip currents.
A high surf warning will follow the advisory, lasting from 9 p.m. Monday to 9 p.m. Wednesday. During that period, rip currents and “dangerously large” 16 to 22-foot waves, with sets as high as 25 feet are expected, according to the National Weather Service.
The National Weather Service said high surf can “pose an exceptional risk of ocean drowning.”
According to the agency, people should remain out of the water and stay off of jetties or piers while the high surf warning and advisory are in effect.
This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 9:44 AM.
