Staff at senior care facilities in Ramona and the rest of East County are preparing for the possibility of power shutoffs with the strong Santa Ana winds and the potential fire risk.

A Red Flag Warning went into effect at 4 a.m. Wednesday for portions of San Diego County as Santa Ana winds began to peak.

The fierce Santa Ana winds that stoked a blaze that scorched thousands of acres near Los Angeles will wallop San Diego County early Wednesday, in the start of what forecasters say could be a week or more of off-and-on lashings in a region that’s drier than it’s been in years.

First discovered: 4:55 a.m. Jan. 8 A new wildfire was reported today at 4:55 a.m. in San Diego County. Centre Fire has been burning on private land. There is no update on the containment progress of the fire and its cause remains unknown.

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in San Diego County dropped two-tenths of a cent Wednesday to $4.514, a day after dropping one-tenth of a cent.

Apple Fire initially started today at 11:25 a.m. in San Diego County. After being active for four hours, it has burned 3.5 acres of private land, an increase of three acres since the last update. At this time, the containment status is unknown and the cause of the fire remains undetermined.

San Diego County will be hit by a second wave of Santa Ana winds Thursday night and early Friday that represent more of a wildfire threat than the gusts that whipped parts of the region early Wednesday,

Cal Fire says it’s preparing for critical fire risk across San Diego County by shifting resources from northern areas and canceling days off as Southern California faces dangerous Santa Ana winds and a red flag warning.

Parts of Southern California, including Los Angeles, are under an extreme fire risk on Wednesday as Santa Ana winds continue to impact the region. The threat will lessen slightly on Thursday before ramping up again later in the week.