San Diego Heat Wave, FireSat and Georgia Wildfire Funding

Today's news is mostly about getting ready for fire: a hot, windy week in Southern California, new tools for spotting fires early, and money and court fights over how communities prepare.

Heat wave and Santa Ana winds raise fire risk in San Diego County

A weeklong heat wave begins Friday in San Diego County, with temperatures in the 90s near the coast and above 100 in inland valleys and foothills, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The National Weather Service says the region hasn't had significant rain since June, which raises the wildfire threat.

Mild Santa Ana winds are expected to peak Saturday, with inland gusts of 25 to 40 mph and gusts up to 50 mph in the mountains. Forecasters expect Saturday highs of 103 in El Cajon and Ramona and 92 in San Diego, where the seasonal average is 76. If you live nearby, it's a good week to know where your local fire and air-quality alerts come from.

FireSat satellites built to catch fires while they're small

The Earth Fire Alliance launched the first three operational satellites of its FireSat constellation on July 7, Gizmodo reports. It is the first satellite network designed specifically to detect wildfires, using sensors that pick up thermal energy from the ground.

The goal is a network of 50 satellites in low-Earth orbit sweeping the planet for small, early ignitions, giving firefighters more time to act before a fire grows.

Georgia sends funding to rural fire departments after a historic spring

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced more than $100,000 for rural fire departments in Brantley, Clinch and Echols counties, the Savannah Morning News reports. Spring wildfires there burned more than 82,000 acres, and the Highway 82 Fire alone destroyed 110 homes.

The money will be split across seven departments and go toward bulldozers for cutting firebreaks and toward air-based firefighting.

Lawsuit challenges a housing project in a Saratoga fire zone

Investor Michael Burry's nonprofit has sued the City of Saratoga, California, over its approval of a 25-unit development on Pierce Road, the New York Post reports. The road sits in a state-designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and the petition argues the project could add about 70 residents to it.

The city's Planning Commission had denied the project over emergency access and evacuation concerns, but the City Council approved it on appeal in August.

Charges against unlicensed contractors in LA burn zones

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has filed criminal charges against 17 people accused of contracting without a license in wildfire burn zones, KABC-TV reports. Eleven were allegedly working in the Eaton Fire zone and six in the Palisades Fire zone. The investigation is ongoing.

Sources

Weeklong heat wave will hit San Diego County Friday and send wildfire threat soaring — San Diego Union-Tribune
How a New Satellite Constellation Is Rewriting the Rules of Early Wildfire Detection — Gizmodo
Georgia wildfire funding helps rural departments buy equipment — Savannah Morning News
Michael Burry sues Saratoga to block housing development in wildfire zone — New York Post
17 accused unlicensed contractors charged amid ongoing fire zone investigation — KABC-TV

Canairy aggregates publicly reported air-quality and wildfire news and summarizes it in plain English, with links to the original sources. This is educational information, not medical or emergency advice. In a wildfire or air-quality emergency, follow guidance from local authorities.