Published Thursday, September 24, 2026 at 06:01 PM PT
Burbank · Thursday, September 24, 2026 · 6:01 PM · 80°F, 64% humidity, wind 0 mph SSW (gusts 2), 29.34 inHg, UV 0, PM2.5 7
It’s another scorcher out here in the low desert, and the fire gods are apparently still hungry. We’re sitting at a pleasant 84 degrees outdoors right now, with the garage pushing a toasty 102—which is Northern California’s idea of a Tuesday but ours of “hey, maybe keep your batteries away from each other”—and the forecast is promising more of the same: sunny and 89 this afternoon, partly cloudy tonight (cool down to 65), and back to mostly sunny 90-degree Friday. June gloom went on vacation and apparently found the early-September schedule more agreeable. So grab your sunscreen, respect the fire danger, and for Christ’s sake, if you see lithium batteries sitting in the heat, don’t ask them how they’re feeling—just evacuate.
The Big One: La Verne’s Lithium Battery Warehouse Is Still Having a Moment
Authorities in La Verne are still working to stabilize temperatures in lithium battery storage units that caught fire earlier this week. The good news: temps are coming down. The bad news: “coming down” apparently means “we’re not watching it actively re-ignite every six hours anymore” rather than “problem solved.” LA County and fire departments are actively awaiting expert mitigation teams to help contain what is essentially a slow-motion warehouse dumpster fire filled with the chemical equivalent of tiny little angry suns. Evacuations may continue for days, which is fine if your entire neighborhood hasn’t been told to sleep elsewhere while we wait for specialists to show up and explain why lithium batteries are a terrible idea stored in bulk during a heat wave. Also worth noting: a UCLA study just dropped confirming that smoke from the Eaton Fire—the one last winter that turned SoCal into a charcoal filter—carried airborne lead downwind. So if you were breathing smoke last year and wondering if you were ingesting heavy metals, congratulations, science has now confirmed your paranoia. Stay out of the air, stay indoors, and definitely don’t store batteries anywhere near your house because apparently we learned nothing.
Crime: The Robbers Are Apparently Franchising Now
Two men and a juvenile were arrested this week in connection with a string of armed robberies targeting T-Mobile stores across LA County. The good news: they’re caught. The bad news: there’s apparently a business model here. T-Mobile stores—which are, let’s be honest, just thin-sliced rectangles of accessible electronics in shopping centers—became a hitting list. This is what happens when you make it easy. The LASD is also hunting a suspect in a Norwalk homicide and released his name and photo; if you see him, don’t approach, just call 911 like a normal person.
Traffic Tragedies: The Metro and the Freeway Keep Taking People
A woman accused of causing a deadly crash on a Chatsworth Metro bus pleaded not guilty this week. The bus collision killed multiple people, and she’s now facing charges—the trial is underway and the legal system will do its inevitable thing. Separately, a bicyclist was struck and killed by a semi-truck at a Riverside intersection (Riverside County, but close enough to matter if you ride a bike anywhere in SoCal). And in LA proper, a 4-year-old was struck and killed on Corona Street—details are still developing, but when a kindergartner gets hit by a car in the city you’re responsible for monitoring, it’s a bad fucking day. All of these are reminders that traffic violence in LA County is not rare, it’s not an aberration, it’s just Tuesday with a body count. Slow down. Actually watch the road. Don’t hit people.
Public Health: Long Beach Has West Nile Virus Now
Long Beach reported its first West Nile Virus death since 2017 this week, which is a grim reminder that mosquitoes didn’t take a vacation. It’s late September, which means we’re heading into the tail end of mosquito season (but not completely safe—SoCal mosquitoes are year-round assholes). Use bug spray if you’re going to be outside at dawn or dusk, empty any standing water around your house, and if you get a fever and joint pain after a mosquito bite, go to the damn doctor instead of assuming it’s just the heat.
The Small Stuff That Still Matters
Caltrans is doing lane reductions on southbound I-405 through the Sepulveda Pass on weekends, so if you were planning to breeze through there, add an hour. Palm Springs School District and police are warning parents about a social media trend called “Cat in the Hat”—which, if you haven’t heard about it yet, you’re lucky; apparently it’s dangerous enough that they felt compelled to issue an alert, which means it’s stupid enough that teenagers are doing it. And down in La Crescenta, someone walked out of a store in the 2600 block of Foothill Boulevard with a full shopping basket of unpaid merchandise at 12:28 p.m. on a Saturday, because apparently “just leaving without paying” is still a strategy some people are running in 2026.
The Vibe
It’s hot, it’s dry, it’s late September (which means fire season is still cranking), and we’ve got battery fires, homicides, traffic deaths, and mosquito-borne viruses all competing for your attention. The lithium fire in La Verne is the one to watch—if that situation degrades, we could see more evacuations. Keep an eye on the LASD updates on that Norwalk homicide if you live in that area. And for fuck’s sake, if you’re driving in LA, assume every other person on the road is actively trying to kill someone, because the statistics suggest they’re trying.
Stay cool. Stay sharp. Don’t store flammable batteries in the sun. And if you see crime, report it instead of filming TikToks about it.