The Fourth of July holiday weekend will bring excessive heat as well as elevated fire risks to Southern California. Tracey Leong reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Monday, July 1, 2024.
Fire officials Monday urged people in Southern California to stay safe during the holiday heat wave as the second week of extreme temperatures arrived in the region with an elevated risk of wildfires.
In addition to wearing lightweight, light-colored and loose clothing while being out during peak heat, LA City Fire Department Cpt. Erik Scott said having a wildfire action plan was crucial for Southern California, especially those near fire risk areas.
That includes a longtime La Tuna Canyon resident Connie Cornish. She saw the La Tuna Fire ripping through her neighborhood in September 2017, burning more than 7,000 acres and destroying five properties.
She also vividly remembered how firefighters protected her property on La Tuna Canyon Road.
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“When it was over, we were all dirty, full of soot and ashes," Cornish recalled. "I made them breakfast, and they were here all night long with us. We stayed up all night long."
Because of the harrowing experience, Cornish and her husband said they take the fire warnings very seriously.
They keep the brush cleared around their property to create about 200 feet of defensible space while having sprinklers on their roofs and sheds. The couple also created an action plan if they need to evacuate and have a plan to stay safe during the excessive heat.
“Stay inside when it gets dangerous because we are elderly and we’re retired, and the horses I have sprinklers. When it reaches 100 degrees, I put the sprinklers on and it hoses the horses down,” said Cornish.
Another important thing to remember for safe, responsible Fourth of July celebrations: All fireworks are illegal in the city of Los Angeles even if they are considered safe and sane.
“It’s the kids that historically are injured -- eye injuries, hands and face," Cpt. Scott said. "It's the pets that are scared, that run away and have sensitive hearing because they are hearing all the explosions, and this time of year the shelters are absolutely full."
The 24-hour period around the Fourth of July Holiday, the city fire department usually sees an additional 400 calls for service related to firework injuries on top of its 1,500 daily calls.
For those looking for resources to beat the heat, see here for LA’s emergency management department's list of cooling centers and pools open to the public.
