Santa Ana winds kick up dust, ash from recent SoCal fires

Santa Ana winds whip across SoCal

Heavy winds across the Inland Empire have caused damage and whipped up ash from recent wildfires.

LOS ANGELES - Heavy Santa Ana winds are making their way through Southern California this weekend, prompting Red Flag Warnings across the region. But it's not just new fires that residents have to worry about, but the remnants of other recent fires that could cause trouble as well.

The winds are also whipping up dust and ash from the Airport, Bridge and Line fires that burned more than 120,000 acres across Southern California late this summer. All that dust prompted the South Coast Air Quality Management District to issue a Dust and Ash Advisory for Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties through Saturday afternoon.

According to the District, the winds may pull back and localize overnight Friday, and regain momentum Saturday. The advisory is active until 3 p.m. Saturday.

Video from Murrieta Friday showed ash from the Line Fire making it difficult to see, with the Orange County Fire Authority sharing similar images from Trabuco Canyon, as winds call up ash from the Airport Fire.

The AQMD recommends that if you're in one of the areas affected by windswept ash and dust:

Try to stay indoors, with windows and doors closed.
Avoid strenuous physical activity.
Run your air conditioner or air purifier.
Drive slowly on dirt roads.
Wear proper personal protective equipment like long sleeved shirts, pants, gloves and glasses if you need to work around areas with ash. A respirator is also advised
If you get ash on your skin, wash it off as soon as possible.
Do not use leaf blowers or do anything else that could put ash into the air.