As Southern California grapples with worsening drought conditions and record-breaking heat, officials with the U.S. Forest Service have elevated the fire danger level in the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument from “very high” to “extreme.”That’s the second-most-dangerous level on the Forest Service scale, with “critical” being the most severe. Firefighters at the Oak Flat Station in Castaic say rising temperatures and decreasing moisture have made the landscape ready to combust at the first hint of a spark — one called Angeles National Forest vegetation “the driest I’ve ever seen it.”AdvertisementThe “extreme” designation comes with several restrictions, according to Angeles National Forest spokeswoman Diane Travis:Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire or stove fire throughout the national forest and national monument is not permitted. A person with a valid permit for the Forest Service or hunting with a valid California hunting license may discharge a firearm according to their permit or license. Angeles National Forest Fire Chief Robert Garcia said in a statement that the move was made in a further effort to prevent wildfires from igniting. The U.S. Forest Service calls it one of the “driest, most fire-prone areas in the United States,” with human-caused fires becoming larger and more frequent.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 14, 2021 18:22 UTC