Los Angeles County residents were being warned Tuesday to take precautions against West Nile virus after health officials reported 100 cases this year, the highest number this early in the mosquito season in nearly a decade.

Five deaths have been reported, and almost all of the people diagnosed with the virus have suffered severe illness affecting the brain or spinal cord and required hospital care, according to the county Department of Public Health. Cases have been reported throughout the county.

The last time the county recorded at least 100 cases was in 2017, when 268 cases were reported over the entire mosquito season, health officials said.

“West Nile virus can cause serious illness, and the number of severe cases and deaths we are seeing this year is concerning,” county Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said. “We are still within the peak period for West Nile virus transmission, so it is important that everyone take steps now to protect themselves and their families.”

Davis urged residents to use insect repellent, eliminate standing water where mosquitoes can breed and ensure windows and doors have tight- fitting screens without holes or tears.

West Nile virus is endemic to the region and is the most common mosquito-borne disease affecting Los Angeles County residents, according to the health department. Peak mosquito season in the county runs from June through November.

“West Nile virus activity is higher than we typically see, and our teams are actively responding with enhanced surveillance, targeted mosquito control treatments, disease investigations, and increased community outreach and education,” San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District Manager Jason Farned said.

Health officials advised residents to use EPA-registered mosquito repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, 2-undecanone or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Residents were also urged to properly maintain swimming pools and spas.

West Nile virus is transmitted through bites from mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds. Most people infected with the virus have no symptoms, while about one in five develop a fever and symptoms that can include headaches, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea and rash.

About one in 150 infected people develops severe symptoms, which can include high fever, a stiff neck, confusion, muscle weakness or paralysis, according to health officials. People over age 50 and those with health problems face a greater risk of serious illness.

There is no vaccine to prevent West Nile virus infection and no specific treatment for the disease, according to the health department.

A graduate study becoming public Tuesday reports a median of 0.22 milligrams per kilogram in Altadena, and some already-scraped lots still sat above California’s residential screening level

Soil sampled in Altadena neighborhoods burned in the Eaton Fire carried nearly twice the hexavalent chromium measured in the Palisades burn area, according to a University of California, Los Angeles study to be publicly released Tuesday, Sept. 15.

The study reports a median hexavalent chromium concentration of 0.22 milligrams per kilogram in Altadena and 0.12 milligrams per kilogram in the Palisades area. Both figures sit below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency residential soil screening level of 0.95 milligrams per kilogram, which the researcher cites for carcinogens at a risk factor of one in one million.

Soil at some individual properties exceeded California’s more stringent residential screening level of 0.3 milligrams per kilogram. Those exceedances appeared around standing homes, around the perimeters of burned homes, and in some soils that had already been scraped.

Scraping lowered concentrations overall, the study found, but did not bring every property below the state threshold.

The work is by Carmen Lizeth Fregoso Valdovinos and was submitted to the University of California, Los Angeles, where it is held in the campus electronic theses and dissertations collection. Her adviser was Sanjay Mohanty, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the university’s Samueli School of Engineering, who has led free soil testing for fire-affected residents. The record does not describe the work as peer-reviewed.

Samples were collected from burned homes, standing homes and non-burned reference sites in the two burn zones. At burned properties, composite samples were taken separately from the area where debris and soil had been scraped and from the surrounding perimeter, where soil had not been removed. At standing homes, samples came from the front yard, back yard and both side yards. Hexavalent chromium was extracted using a phosphate buffer and measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Altadena soil generally held more hexavalent chromium than Palisades soil, a difference the study attributes to the pace of recovery, to rainfall washing the compound away after the fires and to legacy contamination. The finest particles, smaller than 75 micrometers, were the most enriched, a fraction the study notes is both mobile and inhalable.

The study concludes that its findings support “targeted soil monitoring and site-specific remediation” keyed to each site’s history and terrain.

For Altadena homeowners, the finding does not translate into an available chromium test. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health offers free residential soil testing for the Eaton and Palisades fire areas, but that program screens for lead. Residents collect their own samples and drop them at the One Stop Permit Center, 464 W. Woodbury Road, Suite 210, in Altadena, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with results emailed in seven to 10 business days. Department program materials say the testing is scheduled to run through 2026.

The Community Action Project-Los Angeles, the civic initiative whose testing Mohanty oversees, offers free analysis to homeowners whose properties are selected for it. In its published frequently asked questions, the project says homeowners have reported private companies charging $5,000 to $10,000 to sample and analyze a property.

The Pasadena Public Health Department, in guidance issued after earlier lead findings, has advised residents in affected neighborhoods to keep children and pets out of bare soil, to cover exposed soil with grass, mulch, wood chips or gravel, to rinse hard outdoor surfaces and to wash hands after contact with soil.

Separately, and in a different medium, researchers have reported hexavalent chromium nanoparticles in outdoor air in the Eaton and Palisades areas during debris cleanup. That peer-reviewed work, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment on May 13, 2026, measured airborne particles rather than soil. Neither record links the two sets of findings.

The study record: Chromium (VI) Contamination in Residential Soils After the 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires, University of California eScholarship, https://escholarship.org/uc/item/40b7h1rf. 

Gil Barel in her son’s room in Pasadena on Aug. 2, 2026. Barel and her family are still waiting for their home, a duplex they had rented for eight years before the January 2025 Eaton Fire, to be cleaned up and free of toxic materials before they move back in. Photo by Ariana Drehsler for CalMatters

Two smoke-damage bills awaiting the governor’s signature address a longstanding issue brought to the fore by the Los Angeles County fires: When is it safe for wildfire survivors to move back into their homes?

After the deadly January 2025 fires, which destroyed more than 16,000 structures, the state Insurance Department estimates that more than 13,000 out of 40,000 claims involved smoke damage.

The fires burned for nearly a month. Debris and emissions contained a mixture of trees, brush and manufactured materials made up of  plastics, metals and more — raising concerns about toxic contents left in homes that are still standing but may be dangerous to live in.

Many survivors with homes that did not burn down have yet to return to them 21 months later. Their homes reeked of smoke and they found ash, soot and char inside. They await test results for things such as lead and asbestos. They wait for homes to be repaired, cleaned up and cleared of toxic materials after months of back-and-forth with their insurance companies. Along the way, fire survivors, experts and insurers have all pointed to the lack of standards around smoke damage.

Assembly Bill 1642 will set “a first-in-the-nation standard for testing and remediation,” said Assemblymember John Harabedian, a Pasadena Democrat, about the bill he authored. Remediation is the removal of contaminants or hazards, and fixing possible ill effects.

The bill passed in conjunction with Assembly Bill 1795, authored by Assemblymember Mike Gipson, a Gardena Democrat. Gipson’s legislation will incorporate the new standards and require insurance companies to abide by them. The governor has until the end of the month to sign both bills; one cannot become law without the other.

“We were hearing from survivors that they weren’t getting a fair shake from their insurance companies,” Harabedian told CalMatters. “Kudos to survivor groups that worked with us on this. We hope others don’t have to go through what they went through.”

The bills are just two of several pieces of legislation to come out of the Eaton and Palisades fires meant to set clearer standards, hold insurers accountable and improve the recovery process after a wildfire.

Smoke damage figures prominently in lawsuits and legal actions against two big insurers in California: State Farm, which insures about 20% of the state’s property insurance market, and the last-resort FAIR Plan. The insurance department has accused both of delaying and denying smoke-damage claims.

Los Angeles County sued State Farm last week, alleging unfair business practices in its handling of claims from the 2025 fires. The lawsuit cited the findings of the insurance department’s investigation, including that the company denied or discouraged requests for environmental testing and refused to reimburse policyholders for testing they paid for themselves. Also among the allegations was that for standing homes, the company sent preferred restoration companies that typically “offered an inadequate and unsafe cleaning method.”

State Farm “strongly disagrees” with the county lawsuit’s characterization of the company’s claims response, said spokesperson Sevag Sarkissian.

Standing but not move-in ready

Kareem Ali’s Altadena home is one of the few left standing on his cul-de-sac, but he and his wife haven’t been able to move back in.

Instead, they have been living in a donated RV on their property since August.

State Farm paid for them to live in other places from January 2025 until April of this year, when the insurer refused to reimburse them for rent at an $8,000-a-month one-bedroom that it had recommended to Ali. Ali quit paying rent then,  and the rent for May, June and July is unpaid.

As for their smoke-damaged home, State Farm denied their request for environmental testing, so they paid $3,000 out of pocket for it. The insurer declined to reimburse them, and has since delayed and denied claims for cleanup. Some of the delays are because the insurer has assigned at least six or seven adjusters to their case, Ali said.

“Every time we got some sort of momentum on our claim, they’d randomly switch,” he said.

So Ali said they spent the money that the company has given them so far for their personal belongings coverage. They hired contractors to clean, remove insulation and replace the carpet. When they told State Farm more repairs are needed but they ran out of money, the insurer denied their claim, he said.

Meanwhile, they’ve continued to pay State Farm their monthly premiums. Ali said he asked their adjuster: “What are we paying for if we’re not going to get coverage?”

Elisa Jacobs Nixon is in the same boat. She and her family haven’t been able to move back into their Altadena home, either, primarily because of months of back-and-forth with State Farm about smoke-damage testing and cleanup.

The insurer initially ignored results of the May 2025 environmental testing she paid $6,000 for herself. So her public adjuster — a private insurance professional who handles claims on behalf of policyholders — advised her to get a contractor’s bid for the work that needed to be done because of the findings. That worked. Within days, State Farm sent its own industrial hygienist, Nixon said.

Both the initial report and the one State Farm ordered had similar findings, including about high levels of contaminants. The most recent test also found asbestos.

Now, even though Nixon and her family remain displaced, things finally seem to be moving forward, she said.

“This has completely hijacked my life, my kids’ lives, it’s just taken over everything,” Nixon said. “That’s why these parameters (in the bills) are so important. My hope is this will spread across the U.S. and help disaster survivors everywhere.”

What smoke-damage bills will do

Under Harabedian’s bill, the Department of Toxic Substances Control would have to create standards for lead and asbestos testing, repair and removal by the end of 2028. By the end of 2029, it would have to establish similar standards for other contaminants, including heavy metals, cyanide and lithium.

Gipson’s bill creates a legal presumption that if ash, soot, char or other combustion byproducts are in a standing home after a wildfire, then smoke damage in the property is the result of wildfire for insurance purposes. Also included in the bill: Insurers must inspect properties within 30 days of claims; would be responsible for the cost of testing needed to restore properties to their pre-loss conditions; and cannot stop paying additional living expenses until properties are restored.

The insurance industry remains “technically opposed to the bills,” said Karen Collins, a vice president at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association and a member of the smoke claims and remediation task force the state’s insurance department formed after the Los Angeles-area fires.

Although Collins said the bills create a framework, she said specific regulations and standards that result should “remain grounded in science.”

That’s why adjuster Brian Haden is skeptical about the bills, which he says lack specifics. He thinks both sides — fire survivors and insurance companies — will use “whatever’s approved as a weapon.”

“Will the (insurance department) enforce this?” Haden said, adding that he foresees litigation will still be the way disputes will get resolved.

Jane Lawton Potelle, founder and executive director of  Eaton Fire Residents United, whose data helped inform Harabedian’s bill, acknowledged that the bills won’t necessarily solve all enforcement issues.

She also said that although the bills’ standards won’t take effect in time to help her and her fellow survivors directly, she thinks the fact that standards are coming could still affect lawsuits or possible settlements right now.

“Insurers are relying on people not to know information,” she said. “I want people to know how to protect themselves and stop being afraid. Living in a contaminated home can make you sick. And it can devalue your property.”

Other notable bills

State lawmakers also passed legislation that takes aim at insurer behavior. They involve some of the other problems fire survivors mentioned, including long payment delays and insurers’ practice of throwing multiple adjusters at one claim:

Senate Bill 876 requires an insurer to assign a primary point of contact for a customer within 30 days of a claim being filed and send a written report to that customer whenever it assigns a third adjuster within six months. It also includes rules requiring insurers to disclose more information:  They must submit detailed disaster response plans to the insurance department by April 1, 2028. Those plans would need to be updated every two years or upon the insurance commissioner’s request.

Senate Bill 877 says all preliminary and final calculations related to the amount of loss, covered damage and cost of repairs must be included in claims-related documents insurers provide to their customers within 15 days of a request.

Senate Bill 878  requires insurers to pay the customer the cash value of a property within 30 calendar days of it being deemed a total loss. Subsequently, after receiving proof and documentation, if a policy requires it, insurers must pay the rest of the replacement cost within 30 days. Insurers will owe accrued interest on those amounts if they don’t make payments within 30 days.

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Hurricane Marie is expected to influence Southern California’s weather over the Labor Day weekend, with rain chances developing in Los Angeles County and larger-than-normal swells along the coast.

“The potential for Marie to directly impact Southwestern California as a tropical system remains VERY LOW,” the National Weather Service said. “However, there still will be impacts that the area should be aware of through the holiday weekend.”

Moisture from Marie is expected to begin moving into the region Saturday, bringing a chance of showers to Los Angeles County, forecasters said.

Orange County could also see showers beginning Saturday, with rain chances continuing through the Labor Day weekend.

Any rainfall through Saturday evening is expected to be very light, but chances of rain will continue through the holiday weekend and into Tuesday. Forecasts indicate a good chance of light rainfall and a low chance of moderate or heavy rain.

Thunderstorm chances are expected to remain low, at about 5% to 10%.

Along the coast, increasing southerly swells are expected beginning Friday and continuing through the Labor Day weekend and into Tuesday.

Forecasters said the timing and details will depend on Marie’s track, but “confidence is high in larger than normal southerly swell through the holiday weekend and into Tuesday.”

Before Marie’s moisture arrives, relatively benign weather is expected Thursday and Friday.

Temperatures will remain about 2 to 6 degrees below seasonal normals through Friday, with little day-to-day change. Marine layer clouds are expected to become more widespread along the coastal plain through Friday night, although forecasters said confidence remained low on the extent of the cloud cover.

Temperatures are expected to warm a few degrees Saturday as moisture and humidity increase, making conditions feel more tropical.

Marie was expected to move west and northwest through the Labor Day weekend.

“Any change in the track of Marie could result in notable changes to the forecast and the expected impacts,” forecasters said.

Los Angeles County emergency officials Tuesday outlined preparations for what could be an unusually wet El Niño storm season, urging residents to begin preparing for an increased risk of flooding, landslides and debris flows.

County crews are inspecting and maintaining dams, debris basins, channels, storm drains and pump stations while monitoring burn areas, hillsides and other locations considered vulnerable to flooding and debris flows, according to Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s office.

Officials are also preparing for possible evacuations, emergency shelter operations and assistance for people experiencing homelessness, older adults and others who may need additional help during severe weather.

“After fires, floods, and landslides, we know exactly what is at stake when heavy rain hits Los Angeles,” Horvath said. “L.A. County crews have been doing the work year-round; now we’re making sure every part of County government is ready to move together when conditions change. The time to prepare is now, and Los Angeles County is here to make sure our communities have the information, resources, and support they need to be ready.”

The preparations follow an Aug. 11 motion by Horvath calling for county agencies to prepare for the 2026-27 storm season as an unusually powerful El Niño develops in the Pacific.

Ocean temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific — a key driver of El Niño — are already the highest recorded for this time of year, according to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, the National Center for Atmospheric Research and The Nature Conservancy.

Swain said during a media briefing last month that forecasts indicate the developing El Niño could intensify beyond the strongest previously observed events.

El Niño occurs when weakened Pacific trade winds allow warm water to shift eastward toward the coasts of Peru and Ecuador, altering storm tracks and weather patterns around the world.

The event is expected to peak between October and December, most likely in November, with its greatest effects on California expected from December through March or later, Swain said.

Southern California and the central part of the state are expected to have an increased likelihood of above-average precipitation, raising the possibility of inland and urban flooding.

“El Niño doesn’t guarantee a wet winter in California,” Swain said during the briefing. “But a very strong, potentially historically strong event, which is our expectation for this year, likely increases the amount of precipitation that California will experience this winter.”

County officials urged residents to sign up for emergency alerts, learn the flood and mudflow risks where they live and develop evacuation plans before storms arrive. Residents were also advised to keep enough food, water, medications and other essentials for up to 10 days.

Officials recommended clearing gutters, downspouts and storm drains, repairing roof leaks and obtaining sandbags before heavy rain is forecast. The county also noted that standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage and that separate flood insurance can take at least 30 days to go into effect.

Residents concerned about mud or debris-flow risks can call Los Angeles County Public Works at 800-933-0930 to speak with an engineer.

During storms, officials urged residents never to drive or walk through flooded roads, to stay away from downed power lines and flooded areas and to move to higher ground if they encounter rising water, mud or debris flows.

Horvath is scheduled to host a virtual town hall at 6 p.m. Sept. 28, when county experts will answer questions about El Niño, storm risks, preparations and steps residents can take.

Swain has said Southern California could experience some of the state’s strongest El Niño effects, including an increased risk of coastal flooding and erosion. Ocean waters off the Southern California coast are already warmer than average, and El Niño is expected to temporarily raise coastal sea levels.

Those higher water levels could coincide with large winter waves and seasonal king tides, increasing the potential for coastal flooding and erosion.

Swain cautioned, however, that the developing El Niño should not be viewed as a guarantee of disastrous weather.

“We really are headed for a very strong El Niño event, maybe even most likely the strongest on record, and that genuinely is a big deal,” Swain said. “We actually have a fairly long runway in front of us before most of the negative impacts might materialize, so that gives us some real time to do something about it.”

Southern California will cool down Monday before tropical moisture brings a chance of showers and thunderstorms Tuesday, while forecasters are also watching another possible tropical system for next weekend.

Temperatures Monday are expected to be 4 to 8 degrees below normal in most areas, with highs in the valleys only reaching the mid-80s to lower 90s, according to the National Weather Service.

The cooling will be accompanied by increased onshore flow and a return of marine-layer clouds. Forecasters said low clouds should become more widespread Monday morning, particularly along the Los Angeles County coast.

Temperatures are not expected to change much Tuesday, but conditions will become more humid as subtropical moisture moves into the region.

“This subtropical moisture influx will lead to a 15 to 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms focused over LA County Tuesday afternoon and into the evening,” forecasters said.

In Orange County, increased high cloud cover is expected Tuesday and Wednesday, but chances of precipitation are lower.

Temperatures in Los Angeles County should gradually rise from Wednesday through Saturday, although most areas will remain below normal, with the major exceptions of the Los Angeles County coast and San Gabriel Valley.

Forecasters are also keeping an eye on another potential tropical system that could affect Southern California next weekend.

Los Angeles County Fire Department engines. [LACFD photo]

Dangerous heat, high wildfire risk expected countywide through Friday, Aug. 28

In response to peaking dry, hot temperatures and high wildfire risk beginning Tuesday, Aug. 25, the County of Los Angeles Fire Department is augmenting normal staffing and pre-positioning personnel and resources throughout Los Angeles County to ensure rapid response to wildfires.

The augmented staffing runs from Tuesday through Friday, Aug. 28, the department said in a public advisory. LACoFD is the fire agency serving unincorporated Altadena.

Public safety advisory

The County Fire Department strongly advised residents to check on vulnerable neighbors, family members and pets during the heat wave. Those visiting local beaches must exercise extreme caution, the department said.

The department reminded residents to:

• Sign up for emergency alerts at alert.lacounty.gov.
• If you see something, say something. Report any sign of smoke or fire immediately to your local fire department by dialing 911. If you dial 911 from a cell phone, be sure to know your location.
• Have your Ready! Set! Go! Wildfire Action Plan in place. It is critical for residents to be familiar with the Ready! Set! Go! program, which provides important pre-planning and evacuation information. The plan and how-to videos can be downloaded at fire.lacounty.gov/rsg.
• If you are headed to the beach, check in with the nearest lifeguard for ocean conditions and hazards.

Avoiding heat-related illness

The department said everyone should be extra careful to avoid heat-related illness by following these tips:

• Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated throughout the day.
• Apply sunscreen, wear light-colored and lightweight clothing, and put on a hat or use an umbrella.
• Shift outdoor activities away from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Never leave children or pets in cars, even if the windows are left open.
• Head to a free cooling center if you do not have access to air conditioning.

To find a county-operated cooling center nearby, call 211 or visit ready.lacounty.gov/heat.

Southern California is in the grips of a long heat wave that will continue through at least next weekend, forecasters said Sunday.

The temperature is expected to reach at least 94 degrees in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, and above 100 in parts of the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.

Similar numbers were expected to continue for several days, with overnight lows heating up as well, remaining in the 70s in the valleys, according to the National Weather Service. The heat wave is expected to peak Tuesday through Thursday, but temperatures will remain extremely hot next weekend.

“The combination of hot daytime temperatures, warm overnight lows and some monsoonal moisture at mid to upper levels will continue to feel uncomfortably warm,” the NWS advised.

An extreme heat watch was issued for Tuesday morning through at least Friday evening for the entire county, preceded by a heat advisory from 10 a.m. Sunday through 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Orange County was feeling the heat as well, with a heat advisory in effect until at least 8 p.m. Monday for the inland areas, though it could be extended if the current forecast holds. Anaheim was expected to reach a high of 94 on Sunday and was expected to hit 97, 99 and 100 Tuesday through Thursday.

The weather will also produce elevated wildfire danger, with “increased risk for large plume-dominated fire behavior,” according to the NWS. No major wind events are expected this week, with afternoon and evening winds in the usual range of 15 to 25 mph in the Antelope Valley.

Health officials advised people to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun during the hottest parts of the day and check up on relatives and neighbors.

The public was also urged to never leave children or pets in parked vehicles for even a minute, as temperatures inside vehicles can reach deadly levels in virtually no time.

Local personnel are working two of the West’s most destructive current incidents under a mutual aid pact signed in 1950

Pasadena firefighters have spent the past several weeks working wildfires in three states, including two of the most destructive incidents burning in the West, as the region moves into the heart of its fire season.

Pasadena Fire Department personnel have been assigned to major incidents across California, Oregon and Washington, according to Fire Chief Chad Augustin. Water Tender 34 spent four days on the Summit Incident, and a fire engineer served seven days on the Biscar Incident as a fireline paramedic. A captain worked the Fox Incident as a medical unit leader before being reassigned to the Old Trails Fire in Spokane. A firefighter deployed to the Grasshopper Incident as a comp claim unit leader, and another was sent to the Gann Incident in Calaveras County.

Those last two assignments put Pasadena crews on fires that have destroyed hundreds of buildings. The Old Trails Fire broke out Aug. 1 west of Spokane and, together with the neighboring Fairview and Autumn Lane fires, is now managed as the Spokane Complex. Spokane County Fire District 3 Chief Cody Rohrbach said 640 of the more than 700 structures lost in the complex burned in the Old Trails Fire alone. Roughly 65,000 people were placed under evacuation orders. Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown called it “the worst natural disaster our region has faced.”

The Gann Fire ignited Aug. 3 near Hogan Dam Road and Gann Road outside Valley Springs in Calaveras County and had burned 10,372 acres with 19% containment as of the evening of Aug. 5, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Seven structures have been destroyed and one firefighter injured. A department spokesperson, Ricardo Coronado, described the terrain there as “steep and rugged.” Investigators arrested a 65-year-old Valley Springs man, alleging he recklessly started the fire while operating spark-producing equipment in vegetation.

Governor Gavin Newsom secured a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant for the Gann Fire covering 75% of eligible suppression costs, the state’s third such grant of 2026, according to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

The legal architecture behind these deployments is 76 years old. The California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement, signed in November 1950 by Governor Earl Warren, commits the state and its cities and counties to share firefighting, police, medical and communications resources during disasters. Under the state mutual aid plan, a local agency is expected to have reasonably exhausted its own resources before outside help is ordered.

Pasadena does not absorb the full cost of sending crews. The California Fire Assistance Agreement is the negotiated reimbursement mechanism for local government fire agencies responding through the state mutual aid system, and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services processes those claims through its Mutual Aid Reimbursement System.

Washington is having its worst fire year since 2021, with more than 1,000 fires burning about 425,000 acres during a fourth consecutive statewide drought, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. Fire season in both states typically runs June through October, leaving roughly two months of peak exposure ahead.

Closer to home, Pasadena voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to approve a dedicated parcel tax for the fire department that would pay for year-round brush clearance and wildfire prevention among other work.

This week’s slight cooldown will be short-lived, with forecasters warning Tuesday that widespread dangerous heat is expected to return to the Southland by the weekend.

While temperatures are expected to ease by a couple of degrees Tuesday through Thursday, the National Weather Service said residents should use the break to prepare for another prolonged stretch of triple-digit heat beginning Friday.

“Have a plan to stay cool, especially if work or other activities take you outside mid-morning to mid-evening hours or do not have access to air conditioning,” the NWS said.

Widespread moderate to high heat risk is expected Friday through the weekend, when temperatures are forecast to climb into the mid-90s to 105 degrees across most inland communities.

In the western San Gabriel Mountains and the 5 and 14 Freeway corridors, a heat advisory will take effect at 10 a.m. Thursday, with triple- digit temperatures anticipated, but it will be replaced by a more severe extreme heat warning at 10 a.m. Friday through 8 p.m. Sunday, when highs are expected to range between 95 and 105 degrees.

“Now is the time to start socializing this threat with your community and family and consider rescheduling activities that might but you or your loved ones at risk,” according to an NWS statement. “Have a plan to stay cool, especially if work or other activities take you outside mid-morning to mid-evening hours or do not have access to air conditioning.”

The weather service also warned that hot, unstable conditions and pockets of gusty winds could elevate the risk of large wildfires heading into the weekend.