Rain, Cooler Weather Lessen Threat of Fire

Scattered showers, cloudy skies and lower temperatures brought welcome relief for edgy residents who spent the weekend in fear of Santa Ana winds fueling new fires, but officials Sunday warned the threat of fire isn’t over.

A serious dousing of rain is needed before firefighters can rest easier, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Scott Brown. Last week, a firestorm fanned by the season’s first Santa Ana winds destroyed or damaged 33 houses and structures in Lemon Heights, and other fires in Southern California blackened hundreds of acres and destroyed dozens of houses.

“We’ve had what I would describe as a fairly significant change in weather patterns,” Brown said. “The winds have died down. We’ve had clouds, a cold front, some rain. That’s good news for us. But [events of the past week] should give us notice that there is still a significant fire problem until we get a serious rainfall.”

Residents today can expect partly cloudy skies clearing by the evening, with a high of 74 and an overnight low in the mid-50s, said forecast meteorologist Don Coash of WeatherData Inc., which provides weather information for The Times.

On Tuesday, skies are expected to be sunnier, with temperatures pretty much the same, Coash said.

No significant rain is expected over the next few days.

On Sunday, wind gusts reached 60 mph but died later in the day. That trend is expected to continue, Coash said.

“Looks like winds are going to decrease, looks like we’re back to lighter winds over the next few days,” he said.

Sunday’s weather resulted in scaled-back mobilization plans in case a new fire flared in Orange County, Brown said.

But Sunday, 25 firefighters quickly responded when a water main break and an accompanying hill slide undermined a power pole in Lemon Heights. When officials arrived, a power line was drooping dangerously close to a house in the same area where last week’s fire was sparked by a downed electrical line.

“The only thing holding the pole up was the wires connected to it,” Brown said.

Residents in the 2200 block of Foothill Boulevard were evacuated while authorities investigated the slide, which also damaged a gas line.

Utilities were cut off to the houses as a precaution and sandbags were used to stall further slides, Brown said, adding that it was unclear whether the water main broke first and caused the slide.