With high temperatures reaching into the 100s, school districts across the Sacramento area stepped in to help athletes, staff and parents beat the heat.Friday marks the start of high school football season for many schools.

You can save money by setting your thermostat to 78 degrees during hot weather, according to Deione Brown, owner of Capital City Comfort, a Sacramento heating, cooling and ventilation company.

A dangerous heat wave has descended on much of California and the U.S. Southwest, with triple-digit temperatures expected along with a higher risk of wildfires.

LOS ANGELES - As Southern California braces for what officials are calling the most intense heat wave of the season, the Governor's Office of Emergency Management has pre-deployed additional firefighting resources due to elevated wildfire danger.

The report, released this week, found that 58% of fast-food workers surveyed in July said they had worked in excessive heat conditions in the last year. And nearly half, or 48%, reported experiencing heat illness symptoms including headaches, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, muscle pain or nausea.

Temperatures will hit the triple digits in parts of the Southland starting Wednesday, Aug. 20, with the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angleses in the San Fernando Valley hitting 109 F on Thursday, Aug. 21. – according to a National Weather Service forecast.