California drought brings risk of 'explosive' wildfires

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A firefighter starts a backfire along San Gabriel Canyon Road in Azusa as the Colby fire burns through brush in January. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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A firefighter starts a backfire with a flare gun along San Gabriel Canyon Road in Azusa as the Colby fire burns through brush in January. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters hose down smoldering embers near a home on Pennsylvania Drive as fires continue to burn in Glendora. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters try to protect the main house as a fire burns a section of Singer Mansion on Kregmont Drive in Glendora. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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The Colby fire that broke out in Glendora, on the edge of the Angeles National Forest, exploded in size as dry brush, steep terrain and winds made for rough firefighting conditions. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Rita Abouchedid covers her face from heavy smoke as fire approaches her home on Kregmont Drive in Glendora. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Spectators watch as the Colby fire continues to burn on the edge of the Angeles National Forest in January. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Fire burns a section of Singer Mansion in Glendora as the Colby fire exploded in size Jan. 16. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Barbara Moser, right, hugs Rita Abouchedid, whose home was threatened by the fast-moving Colby fire in Glendora. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A statue of Jesus stands in the front yard as the Colby fire claims part of the Singer Mansion in Glendora. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters work to protect the main house as a fire burns a section of Singer Mansion in Glendora. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A large fire plume rises above the downtown skyline from the fast-growing Colby fire from the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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A woman looks at a brush fire that was reported at about 6 a.m. north of Glendora, a foothill community about 30 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times )

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Glendora resident Cathy Doherty waits to be evacuated in the 500 block of Viewcrest Drive in Glendora as the Colby fire continues to burn. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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A brush fire broke out in January in the Angeles National Forest near Glendora. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A helicopter flies near the Colby fire burning in the Angeles National Forest. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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The Colby fire was reported at about 6 a.m. north of Glendora, a foothill community about 30 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A water-dropping helicopter flies over the Colby fire burning in the Angeles National Forest. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Smoke from the Colby fire in Glendora casts an eerie red glow in front of the rising sun in San Gabriel. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

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A police cruiser drives down Viewcrest Drive in Glendora urging residents to evacuate as the Colby fire burns in the Angeles National Forest. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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A large plume from the fast-growing Colby fire can be seen from as far away as Beverly Hills. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

By Joseph Serna

Jan. 20, 2014 9:38 AM PT

Record dry conditions across California could create explosive wildfires at a time when the state should be rehydrating itself, experts warn.

Across California, vegetation that typically rehydrates with rain between December and April continues to get dryer and more dangerous, worrying officials who fear that wildfires will get worse as the fuel gets even dryer.

“It really is unprecedented. In my career, I’ve not seen this level,” said Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott. “It’s the first [weeks] of January and we’re seeing conditions that would normally be occurring in mid-summer. That’s what we’re up against.”

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has responded to 150 wildfires so far. During the same period last January, there were none, and the historic average is 25.

Forecasters say there is little drought relief in sight. The National Weather Service last week released a forecast for the southwestern United States calling for unseasonably dry and hot conditions.

Gov. Jerry Brown officially declared a drought emergency in the state Friday, urging residents to cut water use by 20%.

William Patzert, a climatologist with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge, said California’s historically wet months of February, March and April look bone dry, and that is going to heighten the fire danger.

“It’s just explosive,” he said. “The grasses are just, they go up like a match…. Everything is good to go.”

The Colby fire in Glendora has demonstrated the dangers. The fire broke out after days of red-flag conditions that brought hot temperatures and winds to parts of Southern California as much of the rest of the country was in a deep freeze.

PHOTOS: Colby fire explodes in growth, destroys home

The fire started Thursday at 5:51 a.m., quickly consuming four to five acres. Within half an hour, it had burned 100 to 200 acres. Winds pushed the fire and embers at a rapid rate, ultimately burning more than 1,700 acres.

Officials expected to fully contain the 1,952-acre fire by Wednesday.

joseph.serna@latimes.com