LOS ANGELES — Southern California experienced its most intense heat wave of the year as firefighters battled large blazes that forced evacuations and the state was under a flex alert because of an extreme power demand that officials warn could lead to rolling blackouts.
The heat wave is expected to last into next week, perhaps as late as Wednesday, bringing extreme temperatures to both inland and many coastal areas and heightening fire dangers.
Firefighters made some progress Thursday in their battle against a wildfire near Castaic that had burned more than 5,000 acres overnight.
