POOL CUE WITH BLAST OF HOT AIR, SPRING TURNS INTO SAUNA.Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer Summerlike heat scorched scorch v. scorched, scorch·ing, scorch·es v.tr. 1. To burn superficially so as to discolor or damage the texture of. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. the Southland on Monday, setting record highs and putting fire and health officials on alert as they prepared for more hundred-plus-degree temperatures today. ``It's too hot,'' complained Burton Ng, 71, from beneath a black umbrella in Burbank, which hit a record 99 degrees. ``And it's only spring.'' Monday's heat wave set new highs by as much as 10 degrees throughout California as residents sought relief in shady alcoves, air-conditioned homes and swimming pools. Record temperatures hit Chatsworth (102), Woodland Hills (104), Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. (100), downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or (99), Los Angeles International Airport “LAX” redirects here. For other uses, see LAX (disambiguation). “KLAX” redirects here. For other uses, see KLAX (disambiguation). Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX, ICAO: KLAX, FAA LID: LAX (90) and Long Beach (101). The mercury reached 100 in Van Nuys, 93 in Lancaster, 100 in Saugus, 101 in Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. and 106 in Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. . Even San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , which usually averages 65 degrees this time of year, reached a record 88. The blistering heat exacerbated brush fires in Ventura, San Bernardino San Bernardino, city, United States San Bernardino (săn bûr'nədē`nō), city (1990 pop. 164,164), seat of San Bernardino co., S Calif., at the foot of the San Bernardino Mts.; inc. 1854. and Riverside counties, where firefighters battled to contain blazes ranging from a quarter-acre to thousands of acres near areas scourged by wildfires last fall. ``It's hot and it's still getting hotter,'' said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard. ``It's the intensity of the heat that's the unusual thing.'' Weather forecasters do not expect much relief until Wednesday, when temperatures should drop 15 degrees and then cool to the mid-70s and 80s by the weekend. In Ventura County, high temperatures and low humidity hampered more than 100 firefighters who battled a 35-acre brush blaze that briefly threatened dozens of homes north of Santa Paula. One firefighter was flown to a hospital for treatment of heat exhaustion heat exhaustion, condition caused by overexposure to sunlight or another heat source and resulting in dehydration and salt depletion, also known as heat prostration. The symptoms are severe headaches, weakness, dizziness, blurred vision, and sometimes unconsciousness. , said a Ventura County fire spokesman. Two other firefighters were treated for minor injuries. Firefighters in Lake Arrowhead doused six small forest fires while investigators pursued an arsonist who may have set at least one of the blazes. Each fire was between a quarter- and a half-acre in size. In Temecula, firefighters got the upper hand on a 2,334-acre wildfire that had once threatened as many as 400 homes in Riverside County. The blaze was 90 percent contained Monday morning. Los Angeles County fire officials warned stations in vulnerable fire areas such as Santa Clarita, the Antelope Valley and brushland near Malibu to be on alert for sparks, a Fire Department spokesman said. ``The only missing denominator right now is the wind - that's what's keeping us from having a red alert,'' said county fire Inspector John Mancha. Meanwhile, public health officials warned residents to be especially vigilant against heat-related illnesses. ``When the temperature is high, prolonged sun exposure may cause heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps heat cramps pl.n. Painful muscle spasms following hard work in intense heat, caused by loss of salt and water from profuse sweating. heat stress disease and dehydration,'' said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, county director of public health. Health officials warned residents to drink plenty of water and to stay inside, avoid unnecessary exertion outdoors and to never leave children, seniors or pets unattended in closed vehicles. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving 3.9 million residents in 2006. It was founded in 1902 to deliver water and electricity supplies to residents and businesses in Los Angeles. urged customers to use energy wisely to help keep costs down and ensure power-system reliability. DWP DWP Department of Work and Pensions (UK) DWP Drinking Water Program DWP Dynamic Weapon Pricing (gamin, Counter-Strike: Source) DWP Department of Water & Power DWP Drinking Water Protection officials said they expect the city's power load to peak today at about 4,700 megawatts, approaching the record high for April - 4,785 megawatts - set in 1989. In Burbank, residents remained cheerful despite the sauna-like temperatures. ``It sure is hot,'' said George Munoz, among six landscapers for Mariposa Horticulture, sprawled in the shade of a F-104 Starfighter jet on permanent display at the Olive Recreation Center. ``You can see this is the most comfortable site around.'' ``We're doing all right. The ugly ceiling offers good insulation,'' added Carlos Parada of Charlie's Complete Automotive, an open garage in Burbank. ``(But) the minute you walk out there, it feels like an oven. As summer approaches, the smog is a killer - you can really feel it in your eyes.'' Staff Writer Andrea Cavanaugh, City News Service and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Dana Bartholomew, (818) 713-3730 dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Knowing just how to keep cool, Gracie Gray, 9, of Woodland Hills jumps in the Calabasas Tennis and Swim Club pool on a hot Monday afternoon. (2) Laura Falin of Northridge lifts her son, 16-month-old Timothy, out of the cool water at the Calabasas Tennis and Swim Club on Monday. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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