Dangerous heat descends on California and the Southwest, raising wildfire risk

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A dangerous, multiday heat wave descended on much of California and the U.S. Southwest, with near-record temperatures expected along with a higher risk of wildfires.

Officials opened cooling centers this week in Los Angeles, where residents are warned to avoid strenuous outdoor activities. California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered state firefighting resources deployed in areas where blazes could ignite.

Here's what you need to know.

The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for Southern California starting Wednesday into the weekend. If outdoor activities can’t be avoided, forecasters say, they should be moved to early morning hours. And everyone should hydrate.

Downtown Los Angeles was forecast to reach 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius) on Friday, while valleys to the north braced for temperatures as high as 108 F (42 C). It will be several degrees hotter in desert areas including Palm Springs.

Candice Catlett, who uses a wheelchair, rolled herself toward some shade as temperatures started spiking Tuesday in downtown LA.

“It’s sizzling hot out here,” Catlett said. “I have sunblock. Hopefully, I can find some cold water. I’m trying to stay out of the direct sun.”

Further north, nearly-always-hot Death Valley could see a severe 120 F (49 C), the weather service said, 14 degrees shy of its record high of 134 F (56 C) set more than a century ago when in 1913 it hit the highest-ever recorded temperature on Earth.

In Arizona, the peak of the heat wave will hit Thursday and Friday, with the mercury possibly reaching 110 F (43 C) in the southern and western parts of the state. Similar temperatures were likely in Las Vegas.

Red flag warnings, signaling elevated wildfire danger, have been issued across Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties until Saturday.

“If you live in a high fire danger area in the mountains or foothills, review your evacuation plans and route and stay tuned to your local emergency officials,” the weather service said in a statement.

The state has sent 10 fire engines and multiple firefighting teams to LA County to assist local agencies if blazes break out.

“By prepositioning firefighting crews, equipment, and other resources in high-risk areas, we can respond faster and more effectively when needed," said Nancy Ward, director of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

California's largest blaze this year, the Gifford Fire, was at 95% containment Wednesday after charring nearly 206 square miles (534 square kilometers) of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties since erupting on Aug. 1. The cause is under investigation.

Adding to the chance for wildfires, especially in mountain areas, is lightning that could accompany thunderstorms, said Sam Zuber, a meteorologist with the weather service's San Diego office.

“We have monsoonal moisture coming in, we have an unstable environment because of the heat, and that creates perfect condition for thunderstorms,” Zuber said Wednesday. She added that lightning can strike in dry areas up to 15 miles (24 kilometers) away from where downpours occur.

Heavy rain could also cause localized flooding and mudslides, forecasters warned.

A couple sits in the shade as temperatures rise Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, at Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Los Angeles County lifeguards stand on guard as people cool off at Castaic Lake on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Castaic, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A couple cools off at Castaic Lake as temperatures rise on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Castaic, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A woman rests on a picnic table at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A sign warns of high fire danger at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Tourists rest in the shade in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A person walks through the shade along a wall patterned by sunlight in Norwalk, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A visitor takes pictures of the TCL Chinese Theatre as a street vendor works nearby in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.

The U.S. Coast Guard boarded the tanker, named Veronica, early Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media. The ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s "established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean,” she said.

U.S. Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to take part in the operation alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which Noem said conducted the boarding as in previous raids. The military said the ship was seized “without incident.”

Several U.S. government social media accounts posted brief videos that appeared to show various parts of the ship’s capture. Black-and-white footage showed at least four helicopters approaching the ship before hovering over the deck while armed troops dropped down by rope. At least nine people could be seen on the deck of the ship.

The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.

The Veronica last transmitted its location on Jan. 3 as being at anchor off the coast of Aruba, just north of Venezuela’s main oil terminal. According to the data it transmitted at the time, the ship was partially filled with crude.

Days later, the Veronica became one of at least 16 tankers that left the Venezuelan coast in contravention of the quarantine that U.S. forces have set up to block sanctioned ships, according to Samir Madani, the co-founder of TankerTrackers.com. He said his organization used satellite imagery and surface-level photos to document the ship movements.

The ship is currently listed as flying the flag of Guyana and is considered part of the shadow fleet that moves cargoes of oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.

According to its registration data, the ship also has been known as the Gallileo, owned and managed by a company in Russia. In addition, a tanker with the same registration number previously sailed under the name Pegas and was sanctioned by the Treasury Department for being associated with a Russian company moving cargoes of illicit oil.

As with prior posts about such raids, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.”

Speaking to reporters at the White House later Thursday, Noem declined to say how many sanctioned oil tankers the U.S. is tracking or whether the government is keeping tabs on freighters beyond the Caribbean Sea.

“I can’t speak to the specifics of the operation, although we are watching the entire shadow fleet and how they’re moving,” she told reporters.

But other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear they see the actions as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.

Trump met with executives from oil companies last week to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.

Associated Press writer Ben Finley contributed to this report.

This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro’s capture and the ship also has been known as the Gallileo, not the Galileo.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)