City Asks Residents to Secure Halloween Decorations Ahead of Santa Ana Winds

Pasadena officials have a request for anyone with a skeleton in the front yard this week: tie it down.

The city is asking residents to secure or bring indoors Halloween decorations, outdoor furniture and construction materials associated with Eaton Fire rebuilding before Santa Ana winds pick up. The request comes with a Red Flag Warning and parking restrictions that Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin directed to take effect from 7:00 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, through 7:00 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, according to a city news release. The city said the alert can be extended based on weather conditions.

“High winds can turn Halloween decorations into hazards,” the city said in a “High Winds Safety Alert” graphic posted to its Facebook page. “Secure them before winds pick up.”

The graphic lists skeletons, inflatables, animatronics and yard displays as large decorations to secure. Loose items such as signs, props and lightweight decorations should be brought in, the graphic says. All decorations should be checked and tied down securely, according to the graphic.

In the accompanying post, the city asked residents to bring inflatables and loose items indoors and to check that all outdoor displays are firmly anchored to help prevent them from becoming safety hazards.

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for the Los Angeles County San Gabriel Valley forecast zone, which includes Pasadena, from 6:00 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, to 8:00 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. Forecasters expect northeast to east winds of 20 to 30 mph, with gusts of 45 to 55 mph and isolated gusts to 65 mph possible. Relative humidity minimums of 8 to 15 percent are expected to be common.

The strongest winds are expected from Thursday afternoon through Friday afternoon, according to the weather service. Rose Schoenfeld, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said “the whole SoCal region should really be on alert,” according to The Associated Press. She said the winds will not match those of the Eaton and Palisades fires in January 2025, when gusts reached 60 to 100 mph.

A red flag warning means critical fire weather conditions are expected and, combined with dry fuels, could create extreme fire danger or fire behavior, according to the city. The city asked residents to use caution with potential fire sources.

Parking is restricted on posted narrow or winding roads in Pasadena’s urban-wildland interface areas to improve fire department access and allow residents to evacuate. The city asked residents to make other parking plans before the restrictions take effect. Vehicles parked in restricted areas will be cited and towed, the city said.

Streets without posted “No Parking” signs are not affected, according to the Pasadena Fire Department. Additional fire patrols have been added in the foothills.

The city also told residents to prepare for power outages, noting that strong winds can damage power lines and bring down trees. Pasadena Water and Power urges extreme caution around downed or dangling wires and poles. It advises residents to assume any downed or dangling wire is live, never approach or touch it, and immediately call 911 to report it.

The city also urged residents to review evacuation plans and make sure emergency kits are stocked. It pointed to ReadyforWildfire.org for information on preparing for and preventing wildfires.

Pasadena Water and Power takes power emergency calls at (626) 744-4673 and water-related emergency calls at (626) 744-4138, and posts outage updates at PWPweb.com/OutageMap. The list of streets with red flag parking restrictions is posted at CityOfPasadena.net/Fire/Red-Flag-Parking-Restrictions. Residents can also register for the Pasadena Local Emergency Alert System, which the city says sends voice, email or text messages only when imminent danger requires action such as evacuation.

After registering with PLEAS, the city recommends signing up for Los Angeles County’s Alert LA County notification system. Pasadena Police Department alerts are available through Nixle, which residents can join by texting their ZIP code to 888777.

Halloween is still more than two weeks away. For now, the city wants the skeletons tied down.