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Santa Ana winds mean increased wildfire concerns in the Tri-Counties

Red Flag Warning issued for parts of Ventura, Los Angeles Counties

Santa Ana winds have led to a spike in wildfire danger for parts of the Tri-Counties. The strongest wind is impacting Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. There is a Red Flag Warning through 6 p.m. Saturday for mountain, and valley areas of both counties.

Parts of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties have also been affected by moderate Santa Ana winds, but it hasn’t been strong enough to prompt a brush fire warning.

A 61 mile an hour gust was recorded in the Montecito foothills, with a 40 mile an hour gust in Newbury Park.

The wind is expected to ease on the Central Coast Friday night, but could remain a concern on the South Coast into early Saturday evening. The wind will ease as an upper low over Arizona continues to push to the northeast.

There have been some Public Safety Power Shutoffs by PG&E in the foothills southeast of Santa Maria. About 14,000 Southern California Edison customers in Ventura County have been put on notice for potential outages.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.