"A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly," the National Weather Service said. "Any fires that start may spread rapidly and become difficult to extinguish." Outdoor burning is not recommended ...

A Red Flag Warning has been issued from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for all of western Massachusetts for high brush fire danger.

A strong Santa Ana wind event is leading to dry and blustery conditions across San Diego County, raising concern for rapid fire spread if one were to break out.

Although the Red Flag Warning was issued for only Friday, the threat of wildfires across the region will persist until the pattern switches back to wet. As of now, a pattern change does not look likely in the short term.

Company officials said that they hoped to restore power to those customers by Thursday morning, when the red-flag conditions were expected to fade.

A Red Flag Warning is in effect Thursday for parts of San Diego's East County, prompting preparations for potential fires.