Roundup: Fire weather could prompt power shutoffs, Camarillo man killed on e-bike
Critical fire weather on the way
High winds and dry conditions will mix to create critical fire weather in coming days that could mean power shutoffs for thousands of Ventura County residents.
The conditions prompted a red flag warning, with Santa Anas expected to pick up from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, said Carol Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard. Winds are forecast between 30-50 mph with gusts up to 55 mph.
The most affected areas will be in the lower mountains and valleys, particularly in Santa Paula, Fillmore, Piru, Moorpark, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, she said.
Humidity could drop into single-digit territory on Thursday.
The winds will dissipate, but not concerns about fire danger through Sunday, Smith said.
Residents are advised to take precautions to avoid inadvertently starting fires, she said. They should refrain from driving through high grass, avoid tossing out cigarettes from vehicles and make sure tow chains don't drag behind a vehicle.
"We really want to be super careful with any potential source of spark," Smith said.
Ventura County's Office of Emergency Services is monitoring local winds because of the risk for the fast growth of wildfires. The agency has a map showing wind activity and where circuits may be shut down at vcemergency.com.
Southern California Edison announced the potential for so-called Public Safety Power Shutoffs for parts of Ventura County. The utility may cut service to prevent its equipment from igniting a fire.
As of 11:30 a.m. Thursday, 16,316 customers in Ventura County were under a shutoff watch.
Edison has a map showing potential and current public safety outages at sce.com/outage-center/outage-information/psps.
Camarillo man killed in e-bike crash
A 75-year-old Camarillo man died last week after falling while riding an electric bicycle, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said.
On Friday, the man was riding northbound on Crestview Avenue, just south of Avenida de Aprisa, shortly before 9 a.m. The site is at the west end of the city, in the Spanish Hills Club area.
The rider, who was wearing a helmet, lost control of his e-bike and fell into the road, suffering life-threatening injuries, sheriff's officials said in a news release Wednesday. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital where he later died. His name was not provided.
Anyone who saw the accident or who has information is asked to call Traffic Investigator Anthony Zacarias with the Camarillo traffic bureau at 805-388-5126.
#SantaAnaWinds will bring critical fire weather to much of the area Thursday, along with low humidities. Use caution with any source of spark or flame and report any sighting of smoke or fire! #SoCal #CAwx pic.twitter.com/We6yyiZRbE
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) November 9, 2023
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Fire weather could prompt power shutoffs in Ventura County
