Wave Kills Man at Redondo Beach : Hazards: In a tragic twist, Paul Mulvihill had gone to warn two people sitting on a breakwall of the dangerous high surf.

In a tragic turn of events, a towering wave swept across a stone wall partially surrounding Redondo Beach’s King Harbor and killed a 54-year-old man who had gone to warn others of dangerous surf conditions, police said Friday.

Paul Mulvihill, 54, of Vancouver, Wash., and a friend had gone to warn two people sitting on the wall when an unusually large wave topped the barrier and knocked all four onto a nearby parking lot, Redondo Beach Police Sgt. Phil Keenan said.

Mulvihill’s friend, Roberta Turner, 54, of Redondo Beach, was seriously injured but was said to be in stable condition Friday evening. Two Hermosa Beach residents knocked from the wall--Noel Ellis, 14, and George Robley, 63--suffered minor injuries.

Keenan noted the irony of Mulvihill’ death. “It’s like we always say in law enforcement, no good deed goes unpunished,” he said.

The large waves were generated by a strong storm about 1,500 miles off the coast of San Francisco. Lifeguards from Zuma Beach to San Pedro spent the day warning swimmers to stay clear of the dangerous surf, but no warning signs had been placed near the King Harbor breakwall, Keenan said.

The high surf--some waves have been as high as eight feet--is expected to continue today and Sunday. County lifeguards fear that high temperatures, big crowds and large waves will result in a dangerous mix this weekend.

On Friday, the temperature at the Civic Center soared to 93, a record high for the day. Temperatures are expected to reach into the high 80s today. Lifeguards warned Friday that only experienced swimmers and surfers should enter the water.

“People think it’s going to be summer out here but the ocean still thinks it’s winter,” said senior ocean lifeguard Jim Boulgarides.

The high temperatures that attracted so many to Southland beaches Friday are expected to cool only slightly today and Sunday.

The high surf is especially dangerous for swimmers and surfers because of strong rip currents along the coast, lifeguards say. Storm water runoff and large waves have caused the ocean bottom to erode in some places, creating deep holes near the shore and currents that can pull swimmers away from the beach.

With waves as high as six feet at Zuma Beach, county lifeguards made about six rescues and warned inexperienced swimmers to stay in shallow waters.

Lured by summer-like temperatures, surfer Pat Carey headed into towering waves at Hermosa Beach on Friday, but he quit after only one wave. “I’m not in good enough shape for this stuff,” he said.