Strong Santa Ana winds are expected to sweep through Southern California on Friday and Saturday, bringing with them elevated fire danger and soaring temperatures. The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for multiple areas, urging residents to be extremely cautious.
Alberta is implementing a province-wide fire restriction due to a severe drought that has escalated the wildfire danger to the extreme. The restriction prohibits outdoor fires on public lands in forest protection areas. Wildfires have already forced evacuations and put hundreds of Albertans on notice. With a rapidly melting snowpack exposing dry vegetation, the risk of new fires is at its highest in the northern parts of the province, particularly in Fort McMurray, Lac La Biche, and Slave Lake. Ground crews, air tankers, and helicopters are battling to contain the fires, including a rapidly growing blaze near the Municipal District of Peace No. 135.
