Record Heat Packs Beaches, Raises Wildfire Concerns

Record high temperatures in Southern California on Sunday sparked increased concern about the region’s renewed vulnerability to wildfires and sent flocks of people from sunbaked inland neighborhoods to the beach in search of rare ocean breezes.

Three wildfires burned about 1,900 acres on the grounds of Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, as well as rural areas near Temecula and Lake Elsinore in southern Riverside County, prompting some mandatory evacuations and road closures. No significant damage or injuries were reported.

The California Department of Forestry is expected to officially declare the start of fire season today in much of Southern California, three weeks earlier than last year.

Record-breaking temperatures Sunday were reported from Ventura to Orange counties. In Santa Barbara, the 88-degree temperature broke the previous record of 85, set in 1970. Long Beach eclipsed its previous high of 92, set in 1970, with a temperature of 102.

Downtown Los Angeles hit 98 degrees, Simi Valley 100 and Torrance 92. Pasadena tied its previous high of 98 degrees, set in 1947.

According to Weather Central, a weather reporting and forecasting service under contract with The Times, Laguna Beach shattered a 64-year-old record of 87 degrees set for this date in 1940 with a 3 p.m. Sunday reading of 100. Santa Ana’s 102-degree reading erased the record of 94 set in 1970.

Fire officials watched the weather warily.

“If this continues, conditions are very similar to last year, which was one of the most devastating firestorm seasons we’ve had in quite some time,” said Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Edward Osorio.

The largest of three wildfires that burned Sunday was on the Camp Pendleton Marine base. Residents from about 200 homes nearby were asked to voluntarily evacuate. The fire was about 5% contained, said Capt. Robert Ramirez, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

In southern Riverside County, firefighters battled a fast-moving wildfire near Temecula that consumed about 600 acres and forced some road closures and evacuations.

Authorities ordered mandatory evacuations from Dorland Mountain Colony, a retreat for working artists about 10 miles east of Temecula. The fire was about 20% contained, officials said.

Also in Riverside County, a blaze east of Lake Elsinore scorched 250 acres and prompted about 45 people to voluntarily evacuate their homes. That fire was expected to be contained by this morning.

Stuart Seto, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service, said the oven-like conditions are expected to continue until Tuesday. The culprits are a high-pressure system above Southern California and offshore winds that are blowing hot air down from the mountains and blocking cooling winds from the Pacific Ocean.

By Tuesday, Seto said, sea breezes should return to cool things off. The fire danger will persist, however.

“We are gearing up for what could be a long, difficult fire season,” Jim Wright, chief of fire protection for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said in a prepared statement. “Homeowners are encouraged to clear away grass, weeds and brush around their houses.”

Today, the Los Angeles Fire Department will dispatch inspectors to make sure homeowners in areas near mountains have begun clearing brush from their yards. Failure to comply could bring a $242 fine.

Most folks Sunday dealt with a more immediate problem: how to stay cool.

Main thoroughfares in some San Fernando Valley neighborhoods seemed sleepier than usual as residents sought refuge in backyard pools or air-conditioned TV rooms, where they watched the Lakers sweat it out against the San Antonio Spurs in the opening game of their NBA playoff series.

Others ventured outside, where they were overwhelmed by the sun.

At a Cinco de Mayo celebration in Lincoln Park, more than 100 people were treated for heat exhaustion, with eight of them taken to hospitals, said Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

Several thousand people attended the event in the 3500 block of East Valley Boulevard. As musicians performed, a throng of people clustered around the stage, Humphrey said.

“In what is already a day of record-setting heat in the area, these people were not able to sufficiently cool themselves or gain access to water,” he said.

Eighteen fire engines and 23 ambulances went to the scene. The Fire Department also sprayed water on a crowd of viewers who wanted to be cooled off. Those taken to hospitals had symptoms that were not life-threatening, Humphrey said.

“People underestimated the impact of the heat and also impacted the need for water,” he said.

In Woodland Hills -- where it reached 102 degrees -- a shirtless Jarrod Schwartz popped into a Ventura Boulevard Mobil station in low-slung shorts and flip-flops, plunking Gatorade, a bottle of water and a bag of Doritos on the counter.

At Taft High School across the street, Schwartz’s adult league baseball team had just won a game against an opponent that had fallen behind 17-1 and had grown weary of the heat.

“It was toasty at 9 a.m.,” Schwartz said.

A few blocks away, at Pierce College, parents sat under beach umbrellas and tents to watch their children participate in the West Valley Soccer League’s spring season, or try out for the season that starts this fall.

“I come from England, and it always amazes me that we’ll stop a game here because of rain but we won’t stop a game because it’s 110 degrees,” said Paul Clifton, the league secretary.

Kids and parents both appeared to be coping. Soheila Amooyee, 29, clutched a half-melted 40-ounce Slurpee as she watched her son, Michael, 9, work through a dribbling drill. She had already packed a lunch, and was planning on heading to Malibu as soon as possible.

One field over, Mike Spadoe, 43, was watching his son’s game in a T-shirt and a pair of board shorts. After his son’s game, the Manhattan Beach native said he planned to cool off in the pool at his Woodland Hills home.

“I swore if I ever lived in the Valley, I’d have a pool,” he said. “Most people do.”

Others fled indoors for their weekend recreation.

Salman Husainy, 27, took his twins Amman and Anjali to the Westfield Shoppingtown Promenade, where they crawled around in an air-conditioned children’s play area.

“Normally, we’d be in Balboa Park,” Husainy said. “You really can’t go out in this weather.”

Apparently, auto shoppers felt the same way. At the Livingston Motor Car Co., a light breeze animated flags that shouted “used cars!” But the lot was otherwise dead -- an imposing patch of asphalt and scorching Detroit steel.

Fleet manager Charles Nicgorski said his staff tries to pamper any customers who brave the heat, pulling cars up to the rear of the building and cranking the A/C a few minutes before they hop in for a test drive.

“But the heat will normally kill sales in an outdoor business like this,” he said.

Venice Beach, meanwhile, was swarming with bikers, skaters, graffiti artists and surfers. Some came out to play with their pit bulls, Chihuahuas and pet ferrets.

Others suntanned on the crowded beach that was filled with colorful umbrellas and bikinis. In an outdoor gymnasium nearby, two shirtless men tried to knock each other off a 5-foot-tall balance beam in a game of chicken.

Pocio Andrew, 31, of San Dimas rented a bicycle and cruised the strip. She had planned to use free passes to visit Universal Studios on Sunday, but when she researched the weather forecast online in the morning, she decided to go to the beach instead.

“It’s a lot cooler here,” she said. “Where I’m living, it’s like 107 degrees.” Andrew came prepared for a day in the sun, wearing sunblock, a Dodger baseball cap and a baggy T-shirt.

“I wanted to be able to exercise and breathe clean air,” she said. “I’m not coming here to get a tan.”

On the beach, a group of Crenshaw and Santa Monica high school students lounged on a torn white blanket. “I woke up this morning and was all sweaty,” said Shaunice Davenport, 15, of South Los Angeles. “I said, ‘It’s going to be a hot day today.’ ”

Whatever the temperature, Laguna Beach Marine Safety Capt. Kevin Snow said he “knew it was hot, for sure.”

He could tell partly by the size of the crowd. “We had some really large crowds for this time of year -- probably 35,000 on the city beaches, which is at least double what we would normally expect. I think they’re going to be here until the sun goes down.”

With an eye on the thermometer and in anticipation of the crowds, Snow said, the city called in extra lifeguards over the weekend -- “as many people as we’re allowed.”

Parents reported “a lot of lost children,” and lifeguards made 18 rescues, but there were no major incidents.

“It was just a really nice beach day,” Snow said.

Times staff writers Jessica Garrison and Kimi Yoshino contributed to this report.