As a nearly 30,000-acre wildfire burned near Hemet on Friday, officials were optimistic that Tropical Storm Kay had not intensified the blaze, as many worried it could, but instead brought some relief
“It’s super dynamic,” said Marco Rodriguez, a public information officer with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, one of the crews assisting in Riverside County. “In the last six hours, we went from dry, heavy brush to damp and super wet conditions.”
Mehle said the probability of a flash flood is low, but would most likely occur within a 12-hour window from Friday night into Saturday morning. He said officials have been briefed for that possibility because any flash flooding would be “very high impact.”were under evacuation orders for the Fairview fire Friday morning as officials feared the worst from the tropical storm.
Dozens of evacuees sat huddled around tables, many wrapped in blankets against the chilly drizzle outside. The Riverside County Emergency Management Department warned the weather could cause “dangerous flooding and damage countywide,” such as flash flooding and mud or debris flows.