LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – Fire officials have deployed all available resources and prepositioned crews in fire-prone areas as much of Southern California remains under a red flag warning overnight.  

In a record fifth alert involving critical fire conditions this season, a Santa Ana windstorm the National Weather Service refers to as a “particularly dangerous situation,” residents, especially those in high-risk fire zones, are urged to stay vigilant through at least 10 a.m. Tuesday morning when the worst of the winds are forecast to subside.  

Peak wind speeds could reach 50 to 70 mph along the coasts and valleys, with some mountain and foothill gusts topping between 60 and 100 mph. 

Areas of particular concern in L.A. County include the northern San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys, Malibu Calabasas and the Santa Clarita Valley, as well as Altadena, Pasadena and areas from La Crescenta to Porter Ranch.  

At least three wind-driven wildfires broke out Monday, one at Griffith Park, another along the 405 Freeway in Granada Hills, which heavily impacted traffic, and another Riverside County.  

As of 8:30 p.m., the weather service reported on some of strongest gusts to hit the following regions:  

• Western San Gabriel Mountains at 74 miles per hour 

• Santa Susana Mountains at 61 miles per hour 

• Los Angeles County/San Gabriel Valley at 60 miles per hour 

• Santa Clarita Valley at 54 miles per hour 

“It’s just really scary,” Simi Valley resident Michael Peralta told KTLA’s Chris Wolfe. “I grew up here in the valley and it seems like the winds are getting stronger.”  

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristan Crowley, as well as L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, have both stated that crews are prepositioned and that staffing levels for this windstorm are higher than what the city activated during the Jan. 7 conditions that supercharged the Eaton and Palisades fires.  

“The vegetation is critically dry,” Chief Crowley added. “Everyone here urges the community to stay alert.”  

Residents in fire-prone areas are also urged to pay attention to parking restrictions, which are issued to allow for rapid response and emergency access to hillside communities in case of fire.

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – Firefighters quickly extinguished a brush fire that erupted along the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley on Monday.

The fire was reported at about 4 p.m. on a hillside next to the northbound lanes of the freeway in Granada Hills.

Sky5 footage showed flames and heavy smoke billowing over the road as fire crews arrived on the scene and began digging containment lines.

Preliminary reports suggested the blaze was not threatening structures, though firefighters were reportedly worried about embers spreading downrange. Fortunately, Memorial Park Cemetery on the other side of the fire acted as a natural fire break.

Northbound lanes were blocked for around 45 minutes as fire crews battled the fire and eventually brought it under control after it burned three acres, authorities said.

The cause remains under investigation.

The blaze broke out during yet another Santa Ana wind event in the L.A. area, which prompted the National Weather Service to issue a “particularly dangerous situation” alert, indicating a high fire danger.

A police chase ended in a violent crash in the heart of Long Beach early Monday morning, and an investigation into a second crash that may be connected is underway. 

Video taken by Sky5 shows the aftermath of one crash, which occurred near Pacific Avenue and Ocean Boulevard around 5 a.m. 

The pursuit is believed to have been prompted by a burglary at a marijuana dispensary, KTLA 5’s Rich Prickett said from Sky5. 

A mangled black sedan was seen sitting in the middle of the intersection as officers were investigating it. Two other damaged vehicles, including one that had rolled over onto its side, were seen not far away.

The area is set to remain closed as the probe into the pursuit and crash continues.

According to Rich, another crash involving a vehicle colliding with a fire hydrant was also reported at Pacific Coast Highway and Rose Avenue.

The site of the second crash is just under three miles away from the first one. 

Police were seen taking large bags into a vehicle at the scene as water spewed out from underneath the car that sheared the hydrant. 

“We’re seeing Long Beach police here with a bunch of bags that appear to be products from that dispensary,” Rich observed. “This is possibly one of two crashes that happened early [Monday morning] in the Long Beach area [that were connected to the pursuit].” 

As of publication, it is not known which crash occurred first.

No further details were immediately available.