Front Driving Mercury Down, Fire Danger Up : Weather: Gusty winds may prompt fire officials to deploy special strike teams in blaze-prone areas.

A cold front with winds gusting to 50 m.p.h. will bring clear skies and lower temperatures to Orange County today, along with an increased risk of fast-moving brush fires in dry rural areas.

“These cold temperatures don’t help much,” said Capt. Dan Young, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Department. “The wind is going to drive the moisture out, and we could end up with some fast-spreading fires.”

Weather conditions on Friday prompted county firefighters to maintain a “red-flag watch,” a heightened state of readiness in case of brush fire. Young said department officials will determine today whether special strike teams and their equipment should be set up in the most fire-prone areas of the county.

Today’s forecast calls for winds out of the north and northwest in gusts of 25 to 50 m.p.h. across Orange County and the rest of Southern California. The cold front will push temperatures down into the mid- to upper 40s at night and up into the mid-60s during the day. Rain is possible in some mountain areas, and the snow level is expected to drop to 3,000 feet.

The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory through Saturday morning, including gale watches and small-craft warnings for coastal waters. The winds are expected to diminish Sunday.

People driving high-profile or slab-sided vehicles in the windy areas are advised to exercise extra caution today. Reduced visibility due to blowing sand and dust is possible in desert areas.

Bill Hoffer, a weather service spokesman, said the gusty winds are the result of two high-pressure systems over the coastal waters off Oregon and Washington. They are stacked one on top of the other and are moving into a low-pressure area over Oklahoma.

On Friday, gusts of up to 75 m.p.h. were reported in the Mojave Desert and certain mountain areas. High winds coupled with unexpected snow caused an extensive series of accidents and congestion on California 38 near Big Bear in San Bernardino County, the California Highway Patrol said.

At sea, rough water and high winds off El Segundo buffeted a 30-foot sailboat and its crew of four. A rescue team was sent out about 5 p.m. to help the Lisa, which had been drifting toward an oil tanker, authorities said.

Elsewhere, winds of up to 50 m.p.h. fanned a 140-acre brush fire near Sylmar in the San Gabriel Mountains before it was brought under control Friday evening. The fire was blamed on an illegal campfire in a brushy area of May Canyon above Polk Street and the Foothill Freeway.

There were no injuries or property damage. Few residents fled their houses, though the fire burned to within 50 feet of a few structures.

The blaze was the second scare for Sylmar residents this week. Early Monday morning, a brush fire about 3 miles west of Friday’s blaze burned 750 acres and damaged trailers and sheds on two ranches. Its cause remains under investigation.

High winds also caused a “red-flag alert” for severe fire danger throughout Los Angeles County. Similar alerts were already in effect in San Bernardino County--where 60-m.p.h. winds and 15% humidity were forecast--and in most of Southern California’s forests, parks and wilderness areas.

While thousands of people were left without electricity across the Southland, Orange County was relatively unscathed by the high winds on Friday night. Public safety agencies reported no major property damage or downed power lines.

Firefighters, however, are concerned that the conditions are getting ripe for another disaster like the Oct. 20 firestorm that devastated the Oakland Hills in the San Francisco Bay area. That fire, which remains under investigation, killed 25 people, destroyed more than 3,000 homes and caused about $1.5 billion in damage.

“What moisture is still around is going to be gone by Saturday,” Young said. “Some people think these cold temperatures will slow down the rate at which a fire spreads. They don’t. The fire can go faster.”

If county strike teams are placed in potentially hazardous areas today, it will cut response time drastically if a brush fire develops. The idea, Young said, is to catch the fire before it gets much bigger than half an acre--because anything beyond that becomes extremely difficult to control in high winds.