WILDFIRE SEASON PREPAREDNESS: Fire Safety Liaisons Fire Conditions Report 10/1/2025

October 1, 2025

"MODERATE TO HIGH" FIRE DANGER - For the coming week, we'll see a continuation of the weather for the past two weeks, with mild temperatures in the 70s, low winds and very high humidity, putting our wildfire conditions at "Moderate to High."

LFM, the percentage of water in live plants in the Santa Monica Mountains, has dropped to the 60% critical threshold, in line with historical averages. That means that live plants are so dry they can ignite as if they were dead, and fires can spread rapidly and grow large.

However, without winds, and with the very high humidity around 70%, it reduces our current fire threat. When all those factors come together, we have extremely dangerous fire conditions and potential Red Flag Warnings.

We are in the Santa Ana wind season, and we will have an average of 8 Red Flag fire condition events, so our Fire Safety Liaisons recommend you continue to work on your personal preparedness.

Now is the time to make an emergency plan, including evacuation routes, reunification locations, gather supplies and have go-bags ready with food, water, medication, essential documents (remember your pets!), and monitor fire weather closely, especially Santa Ana winds and Red Flag Warnings. Learn more: www.malibucity.org/firesafety.

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September 22, 2025
At this time of year, the City's Fire Safety Liaisons begin closely monitoring Live Fuel Moisture (LFM), a key indicator of fire conditions, as well as wind, storm activity, humidity and other factors. For the coming week, the National weather Service forecasts mild temps in the 70s and low wind, with tropical moisture bringing a slight chance of thunderstorms and wind gusts up to 40 mph Tuesday -Wednesday, then calmer. Another chance of storm Friday - Sunday. There are no Red Flag Warnings in effect now.

The Live Fuel Moisture (LFM) has dipped to 63%, nearing the critical level of 60%, which is down from the last reading of 71% and below the historical average for this date of 65%. LFM is a the percentage of water content of live plants. When LFM falls below 60%, live plants are so dry that they can ignite easily and burn quickly, greatly increasing the risk of fast-spreading, large wildfires.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

Monitor weather and emergency information on local news, NWS LA/Oxnard, and 99.1 FM KBUU.

Sign up for City alerts (select weather, utility and emergency).

Sign up for LA County alerts (Sheriff's & Fire Departments).

Make & review your emergency plans, gather supplies, following the LA County Ready Set Go guide.

In case of any fire starts in our area, or that could eventually threaten our area, the City will post emergency information via alerts, the City website, and social media. In case of urgent threats to lives or property, or evacuations, the City will post emergency alerts via Everbridge Disaster Notifications. (No sign up is required for Everbridge - cell phones and landlines with 90265 ZIP codes are entered automatically).

For more preparedness information, CLICK HERE to print out or download the Preparedness Guide that the City mailed to every household in Malibu.