Temperatures are expected to rise Wednesday and peak on Thursday and Friday throughout the state. Officials are preemptively deploying firefighters to LA County.Show Caption
On one side of the country, Hurricane Erin is bearing down on the Eastern Seaboard. And on the other, intense heat is about to lower its own potential devastation on the West Coast.California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Aug. 19 that he's calling out firefighting resources in response to forecasts showing that Los Angeles County and surrounding areas could have temperatures ranging from the mid 90s to 100 degrees.Among the resources the governor is deploying are firefighters, 32 fire engines, five helicopters and nine bulldozers. "Extreme summer weather is returning to California this week," Newsom said in a statement. "Now is the time to check the forecasts for your area and prepare for higher temperatures and dangerous fire weather. While the best thing we can all do is prepare now, the state is also pre-deploying resources to protect communities from catastrophic wildfire."National Weather Service authorities said the upcoming heat will bring Southern California "the hottest stretch of days so far this summer." Temperatures are forecast to rise Wednesday and peak on Thursday and Friday, the weather service said in an Aug. 19 advisory.Weather service officials said to expect highs of 110 degrees across Antelope Valley and the western San Fernando Valley. Temperatures in downtown LA were expected to be in the mid-to high 90s.A heat map produced by state authorities shows that much of California will experience extreme heat throughout the week.Prepping for firesCalifornia officials are on edge that the extreme, prolonged heat will spark wildfires around Los Angeles, prompting officials to preemptively deploy firefighting resources in LA County. The resources include water tenders which provide water to fire engines; handcrews that specialize in fighting fires in wild terrains; and bulldozers which are used to control the spread of the fire by removing vegetation that can serve as fuel.State authorities said predeploying resources has proven vital in the past to preventing the spread of fires due to extreme heat. "California is taking proactive steps to get ahead of upcoming fire weather," said Cal OES Director Nancy Ward. "By prepositioning firefighting crews, equipment, and other resources in high-risk areas, we can respond faster and more effectively when needed. This strategy is about protecting lives, property, and communities by ensuring help is ready when it’s needed most."Risk of hot carsWildfires aren't the only threat the extreme heat will bring. Child safety advocates have warned parents and guardians to keep children from being left behind in their cars which can quickly heat to oven-like temperatures.Kids and Car Safety, an advocacy group focused on drawing attention to the issue of hot car deaths, announced on Aug. 19 that they had recorded the 22nd child hot car death of 2025 after a child died in El Centro, California. The child was a toddler, according to reporting by KYMA-TV. The child’s father was arrested in connection with the child’s death, KYMA reported. According to Kids and Car Safety, the California toddler was the fourth to die in a hot car in the state in 2025.Last year 41 children died in hot cars, according to the advocacy group, up from 29 in 2023 but down from a peak of 54 in 2018.
