Santa Ana’s red flag raises tension, hints risk of conflagration
By MICHAEL MARTINEZ
Chicago Tribune (Illinois)
LOS ANGELES — They are known for their ability to produce beauty and brutality in one breath.
They are the Santa Ana winds, nicknamed by some as the “devil winds.” Their gusts have become especially fearsome because, in combination with an unusual absence of rain this winter, they could make an already devastating wildfire season even uglier in Southern California, experts said.
Welcomed for expelling smog and restoring clear views of the Los Angeles skyline, the Santa Anas today are inspiring dread among firefighters and many homeowners, especially in Orange County, where wildfires last week forced evacuations of 2,000 homes and charred almost 11,000 acres of parkland through the weekend.