Caution Urged While Red Flag Alert Warning in Effect for East Bay Hills

The National Weather Service issued a warning this morning to East Bay residents about the potentially hazardous fire conditions due to the perilous combination of low relative humidity, gusting winds and warm temperatures.  

"The public is urged to remain vigilant for the threat of wildfires in the East Bay," Livermore Pleasanton Fire Battalion Chief Michael Miller said.

Livermore Pleasanton Fire Battalion Chief Jack Neiman-Kimel told Patch, via email: 

There is a red flag warning in effect in the East Bay Hills until 0600 hrs tomorrow.  A red flag means there is a high probability of a grass fire starting and if one does it is likely to grow at a faster rate than normal.  The weather service issues a red flag warning based on several elements including temperature, relative humidity and wind.  The wind is out of the North at a higher than normal rate of speed which helps dry out the vegetation.  The relative humidity is very low now and with low relative humidity the moisture content of vegetation does not recover overnight making it ripe to burn.  Alignment of all the elements increases the fire behavior and danger.  Please be aware of all heat sources near anything that could burn during the red flag warning.

Livermore has had two grass fires in the last two days, just weeks after the Mt. Diablo fire consumed over 3100 acres. According to weather.com, the humidity is at 16 percent in Dublin.

"The Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department takes extra precautions during Red Flag Warnings," Miller said. "All training, errands and meetings are canceled; units remain available in district.  When the Engine leaves the station they are required to take with them their assigned wildland engine.  This allows the LPFD to be at an elevated response level for any reported wildland fire."

The Red Flag Warning will expire at 6 a.m. on Saturday.

• UPDATE: Grass Fire in Livermore Contained
  
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