A fire weather watch and red flag warnings have been issued for later this week across portions of Southern California. The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings across large sections of Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, while a fire weather watch is also in place.

Former Chief Kristin Crowley of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is suing Democratic Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles over her termination, CBS Los Angeles reported Wednesday. Bass fired Crowley as fire chief in February following the deadly Palisades fires that left at least 27 people dead and destroyed thousands of buildings.

Former Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has filed a legal claim against the city, alleging that her dismissal by Mayor Karen Bass was followed by a smear campaign

As a result, Bass said she has directed the Los Angeles Fire Department to pre-deploy crews, engines and other resources ahead of the heat wave. More than 150,000 brush inspections have been completed, she said.

Ex-Chief Kristin Crowley, who was fired in the wake of the January wildfires that devastated the Pacific Palisades, claims she's been defamed.

The King Fire ignited around 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles on Thursday morning and quickly grew to nearly 500 acres.

Orange County firefighters rushed to a Laguna Niguel neighborhood to extinguish flames burning near homes Wednesday afternoon. The brush fire started on the hillside near Ridgeway Avenue and Alcott Place at around 3:30 p.m. Crews quickly doused the flames as the fire burned vegetation dangerously close to several homes.

A new wildfire was reported today at 3:04 p.m. in Los Angeles County, California. Ronnie Fire has been burning on private land. At this time, the containment status is unknown and the cause of the fire remains undetermined.

The former chief, Kristin Crowley, claimed that Los Angeles leaders retaliated against her for publicly blaming them for refusing to properly fund the Fire Department.

Smoke was seen coming from brush near the backyard of some homes in the area as fire crews tended to the blaze uphill. As a result of the fire, residents on Copps Hill Street were ordered to evacuate their homes. One woman who lives in the area said her gardener warned her of the fire.

A new wildfire was reported today at 9:55 a.m. in Los Angeles County, California. The wildfire has been burning on private land. At this time, there is no data on the containment status of the fire and the cause has yet to be determined.

Governor Newsom prepositions emergency resources in Los Angeles County to combat potential wildfires during an upcoming heatwave.