California Braces for Day of ‘Unprecedented’ Wildfire Threat as Hurricane-Force Santa Ana Winds Blow In

In an ominous overnight forecast, officials alerted residents of Southern California to an unprecedented level of “extreme danger” expected Thursday as Santa Ana winds were set to reach hurricane-force levels and further whip up already-raging wildfires. In “uncharted territory” one step beyond the top of the state’s “red alert” system, authorities warned of the dire new conditions. “The forecast for tomorrow [Thursday] is purple,” said Ken Pimlott, director at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “We’ve never used purple before.” Meanwhile, firefighters struggled overnight to contain blazes that have consumed about 90,000 acres from Santa Paula to the Pacific Ocean. Wind gusts were expected to be as high as 80 miles per hour, which forecasters called a “recipe for explosive fire growth.” Pimlott warned residents there would be “no ability to fight fire in these kinds of winds.” “At the end of the day, we need everyone in the public to listen and pay attention. This is not ‘watch the news and go about your day.’ This is pay attention minute-by-minute,” he told the Los Angeles Times.