The Stanford Dish trail area and nearby foothills have been closed due to high fire danger, William Larson of the Stanford Department of Public Safety announced Wednesday.

"Because of a red flag warning indicating an extreme danger of fire, the Dish area and surrounding foothills were closed on Wednesday," Larson said in the announcement. Public safety officials "will continue to assess the danger of fire and determine the duration of the closure," he said.

The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat advisory on Wednesday that will remain in effect for the interior areas of the San Francisco and Monterey bay regions until 11 a.m. on Friday.

On Wednesday, the weather service forecast highs on Thursday to range from 95 to 110 degrees.

Stanford closed the Dish area for four weeks last summer after two separate fires burned nearly 200 acres in the foothills. A 171-acre fire was reportedly set by two juveniles. A second fire burned about 20 acres on July 5.

The closure has been posted on the Stanford Dish Web site, at dish.stanford.edu.

— Palo Alto Weekly staff