California heat wave raises fire threat, virus spread fears

Palm Springs and other desert regions could approach 120 degrees (49C), the National Weather Service predicted while issuing widespread heat watches and warnings.

"Dangerously hot conditions will occur during the afternoon and early evening hours each day," a weather service warning said.

Ernesto Guerrero bought a small air conditioner this week for La Tapatia, his restaurant in Martinez, northeast of San Francisco, where triple-digit temperatures are predicted. But he said the unit doesn't do much to cool the cooking areas because the stove runs all day.

"It's difficult. I tell you, the guys in the kitchen, they should be awarded special hazard pay, because it gets very warm in the kitchen," said Guerrero told KTVU-TV.

Los Angeles opened cooling centers, but with limited capacity because of coronavirus social distancing requirements.

The California Independent System Operator, which manages the state's power grid, issued a statewide Flex Alert for Friday, calling for voluntary electricity conservation from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., when there's expected to be higher demand, mainly from the use of air conditioners.

In addition, cloudy remnants of a tropical weather system will reduce solar generating power and lead to tighter energy supplies, operators said.

People were asked to turn off unnecessary lights and avoid using major appliances such as washing machines during those hours.

The scorching temperatures are a concern for firefighters battling blazes that have destroyed several homes and have erupted near both rural and urban foothill neighborhoods, driving through tinder-dry brush.

In addition to the possibility of heat stroke and other hot-weather illnesses, health officers were concerned that people will pack beaches, lakes and other recreation areas without following mask and social distancing orders — a major concern in a state that has seen more than 600,000 coronavirus cases.

Israel saw a COVID-19 resurgence after a May heat wave inspired school officials to let children remove their masks, Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

"People will want to take off their masks when it's hot," Rutherford said. "Don't do it."