LOS ANGELES _ A dangerous heat wave descended on Southern California on Friday, shattering temperature records and sparking a brush fire that swept into neighborhoods east of San Diego, destroying numerous homes.
The heat wave, coupled with moderate winds, helped fan nearly a dozen fires across the region, the most serious of which was burning along Interstate 8 near Alpine. By evening, the West fire had hopscotched through hillside communities, torching homes and other structures as firefighters struggled to prevent the 400-acre fire, which was 5 percent contained, from spreading further.
Hundreds of residents fled the West Willows community, with some saying they didn't know whether their homes were still standing.
A fast-moving fire in the San Bernardino National Forest on Friday afternoon prompted authorities to call for the mandatory evacuation of the town of Forest Falls.
Another blaze at Camp Pendleton sparked more evacuations, while smaller fires broke out in the Cajon Pass, Angeles National Forest, Montecito Heights, Sylmar and Pacoima. It was a grim beginning to what fire officials have warned will be another year of extreme fire danger as much of Southern California remains under drought conditions. Last year was the worst fire season on record in California, with thousands of homes lost and dozens killed from Northern California wine country south to Los Angeles and San Diego counties.
Outside the fire zone, it was a day of triple-digit misery that left sweaty Californians to the mercy of their air conditioning or their resolve to tough it out.
By 1 p.m., the temperature hit 115 degrees in Woodland Hills, breaking the previous mark for the date of 106 degrees, set July 6, 1976, according to the National Weather Service. It was just 4 degrees shy of the hottest temperature ever recorded in Los Angeles County: 119 degrees on July 22, 2006. That also happened to be in Woodland Hills.
Several places broke heat records for the day, including downtown Los Angeles, which hit 108 degrees. Van Nuys and Burbank airports set all-time records of 117 and 114 degrees, respectively. The San Diego County community of Ramona reached its highest recorded temperature _ 112 degrees _ by 11 a.m., forecasters said.
The broiling temperatures were the result of a strong high-pressure system combined with offshore winds blowing from the desert to the ocean, said Todd Hall, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Like many Southern Californians, Hall does not have air conditioning at home and was not looking forward to leaving his nice, cool office.
By midmorning Friday, it was already 105 degrees in Los Feliz as Zeneith Evenstar heaved a shopping cart full of her belongings uphill.
A petite homeless woman with graying hair, Evenstar, 56, said she knew how to keep cool after seven years of living on the streets. She pours water on herself as she walks her route collecting cans. She spends afternoons at her church. And she knows the patches of shade where she can rest and security guards won't chase her away.
"I just keep going," she said. "What can you do?"
Friday was forecast to be the peak of the heat wave, but triple-digit temperatures were expected to linger through the weekend, according to the weather service. Even coastal areas are expected to see temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s. On the waterfront, temperatures soared to record-breaking heights Friday, climbing to 85 degrees in Newport Beach by the afternoon.
Thousands of beachgoers who sought relief wading in 65-degree ocean water were met with more accommodating conditions than earlier in the week. Sizable surf from Hurricane Fabio that had pounded south-facing beaches with 6- to 8-foot waves in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach beginning Wednesday had tapered off by Thursday night, lifeguards said.
Los Angeles has a network of cooling centers for people who lack access to air conditioning and need a place to escape dangerous, temperatures. Department of Recreation and Parks facilities _ such as recreation centers, museums and senior centers _ as well as libraries _ will be available as cooling centers during regular hours, city officials said.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power also said it would install temporary water fountains in the Tujunga Wash area, San Julian Park, Gladys Park, La Plaza De Culturas y Artes and the Exposition Park area.
In San Diego, the city's Fire-Rescue Department planned to have extra firefighters, brush engines and water tankers on duty to deal with any blazes. Critical fire weather conditions were also possible in Ventura County, the valleys and the Central Coast.
The dry heat raises the danger of new fires sprouting throughout the region. A red flag warning was in effect from Friday night through Saturday, with the most at-risk areas in the foothills and mountains.
In an almost ironic twist, the Moo on Mission ice cream shop in South Pasadena was nearly empty around noon as temperatures soared outside.
"Heat kills business," said owner Karen Klemens. "If they have air conditioning, they're going to stay inside."
Klemens said her company started running its ice cream machine at 2 a.m. instead of the normal 8 a.m. to make sure the equipment had time to get cold.
As frozen containers of salty chocolate, organic fresh basil and Thai tea-flavored ice cream sat waiting for customers, Klemens said she hoped it would get busier by sunset.
"People will just want to get out of the house," she said.
Inside downtown L.A.'s Grand Central Market around noon, hordes of people made their way through the various stalls. The clamoring sound of plates and pots echoed while giant fans stationed along the aisles blew cool air. Tourists stopped near one of the fans for a moment, hoping for a respite from the heat.
Outside, Allyson Schaefer was applying sunscreen while the rest of the crowd ordered hot food _ and hot coffee. It was 90 degrees.
"I just have to get through today," Schaefer, 25 said, as she sat under the shade of a large red umbrella.
Schaefer, who is from Texas, lamented the timing of her Southern California visit. She said she came to visit a friend, not to experience a heat wave. On Saturday, she hopes to find refuge in San Diego. Until then, she said, she'll stick to her plan.
"Drink lots of water and put on sunscreen," she said.
In Woodland Hills _ the north San Fernando Valley suburb that always seems to be the hottest place in the county _ people still took to Warner Center Park to walk their dogs, jog and work out, even as the temperature rose above 110 degrees. Many of the men shed their shirts.
Violetta Leclere, who moved to Woodland Hills from Russia a decade ago, lay on her blue yoga mat beneath a tent in the park. She raised and lowered her legs slowly.
"Honestly, my LA Fitness card didn't go through today," said Leclere, a 27-year-old Santa Monica College student. "I try not to quit. I like a challenge."
She planned to work out on the grass for at least 40 minutes.
"I like hot weather," she said. "I don't see many other people here. I'm the craziest one today."
Robert Dill stood shirtless in the park, in direct sunlight, juggling bright orange pins. He's lived in Woodland Hills for 30 years, but before that lived in Dallas, where he was used to unbearable humidity.
"It usually doesn't bother me that much. ... It's kind of a piece of cake," he said of Southern California's drier heat.
But Sara Waxman, who has lived her entire life in Woodland Hills, didn't share that laissez faire attitude. She was walking her pit bull, King, through Warner Center Park, and he tried nuzzling his nose in a wet spot on the grass.
"I hate the heat," Waxman, 24, said. "I can't stand it."
She had to walk the dog, but she planned to hide inside for the rest of the day. King spends hot days lying on cold tile floors.
"He hates the heat, too," she said. The dog just panted.
