Hot winds put county on fire alert

By Robert Krier and Greg Gross The first Santa Ana of the season should arrive Sunday morning, and while it's not expected to rival the winds that drove the devastating wildfires last October, civic leaders and fire officials are on alert. Fire departments are gearing up with a small army and air force of firefighters, heavy equipment and aircraft. “We're as prepared as we're gonna be. We're ready,” said San Diego Fire Chief Tracy Jarman. Weather conditions, at least in San Diego County, aren't expected to equal the perfect storm of high temperatures, low humidity and powerful offshore winds that enveloped the area last year. For comparison purposes, if the Santa Anas that fanned flames last year were rated as a 10, National Weather Service forecaster Phil Gonsalves said, the next one would probably rank as a 7 or 8. “It's... [read full story]