Firefighters gain ground on LA fires but conditions are set to worsen
Firefighters in Los Angeles gained ground on the deadly wildfires, getting some respite from the savage winds that have whipped the flames into a sixth day – but officials warn the reprieve will be short-lived.
Firefighters gained ground on the deadly wildfires that have laid waste to parts of the city, as the death toll from the disaster rose to 16.
Crews battling the fires got some respite from the savage winds that have whipped the flames into a sixth day, though officials warned the reprieve could be short-lived.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said that once the true toll of destruction was known, the fires would be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday, Newsom said the death toll was likely to grow. “I’ve got search and rescue teams out. We’ve got cadaver dogs out. And there’s likely to be a lot more,” he said.
Despite making progress Saturday and overnight, with what the city fire chief described as a “relentless air attack” of water drops, four large, aggressive fires still burned as dawn approached Sunday.
Firefighters encountered “very favourable” conditions in battling the Eaton fire in the Altadena and Pasadena area, officials said, but warned that the fight is far from over. That fire, which has spread to more than 14,000 acres, was 27% contained early Sunday, according to the state fire authority, Cal Fire.
The fire that devastated the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, which was 11% contained by early Sunday, continued to grow, gaining more than 1,000 acres overnight. The sprawling blaze, now more than 23,000 acres, threatened homes in the affluent Brentwood neighbourhood of west Los Angeles and singed backyards at the base of Mandeville Canyon, though Capt. Ray Richardson from Cal Fire said firefighters had saved houses.
While calmer winds and higher humidity helped firefighters make progress, strong Santa Ana gusts would pick up again late Sunday and into the new week, the National Weather Service said.
Winds were expected to pick up to 50 miles an hour in some areas into Sunday, getting stronger as night fell. Authorities worried those gusts could blow embers from the Palisades fire into unburned portions of Mandeville Canyon.
“The big thing today you’re worried about is those areas that haven’t seen fire growth yet.
Unfortunately in those areas that have been hit the damage is done, and the fires will move on,” Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the weather service, said Sunday.
“It’s looking like another volatile week depending on where you are, either starting later today or overnight,” he added.
The fires, which were first reported Tuesday morning, have destroyed more than 12,300 homes, businesses and other buildings, officials said.
Critical red-flag warnings for high winds and low humidity would remain in place across much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Wednesday, extending south to parts of Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties, the weather service said.
The Lidia fire, in part of the Angeles National Forest north of the city, was 100% contained, and the Hurst fire, on the northern fringe of the San Fernando Valley, was at 76% containment early Sunday.
The Kenneth fire, which broke out Thursday near West Hills in the western San Fernando Valley, was 90% contained.
State and city officials have faced criticism over preparedness and issues surrounding water reserves. Earlier in the week, 20% of an estimated 1,000 hydrants in the Palisades area ran out of water.
The Los Angeles Department of Power and Water said Saturday that all hydrants were “fully operational,” but some lost water pressure “due to unprecedented and extreme water demand to fight the wildfire without aerial support.”
Firefighters from elsewhere in the US and Mexico were on the ground in California to help the effort. Canada has also sent resources. More than 14,000 personnel were involved in the battle to get the fires under control, California Governor Gavin Newsom said.
Saturday’s aggressive bid for control wasn’t enough to knock down the Palisades fire to the west and the Eaton fire to the east, which have displaced thousands and destroyed many homes. The Eaton fire has claimed 11 lives and five people died in the Palisades fire, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Flames from the Palisades fire threatened homes in the affluent Brentwood neighbourhood of west Los Angeles and singed backyards Saturday at the base of Mandeville Canyon, though Captain Ray Richardson from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said firefighters had saved houses. Flames moved closer to communities near the Getty Center, which said its art galleries were safe as of Saturday.
Several significant flare-ups led to additional evacuation orders in the hills around Encino. The evacuation zone also widened to the east Friday night, bordering Interstate 405, one of the country’s busiest highways. The fire, first reported Tuesday morning, has destroyed 426 homes, officials said.
Crews encountered “very favourable” conditions on Saturday in battling the Eaton fire, officials said, but warned that they are not out of the woods yet.
Throughout Saturday, helicopters dropped water on the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, continuing a “relentless air attack utilising all available aircraft in the area,” according to Los Angeles city Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley.
The aerial assault brought containment of the blaze to 11 per cent, but the sprawling fire grew overnight by 1,000 acres in the Mandeville Canyon area, topping 22,000 acres early Saturday.
Teams of firefighters would continue to monitor the area overnight due to concerns that unburned portions of the canyon could reignite. Winds are expected to pick up to 30 to 50 miles an hour (48-80km/h) overnight and could blow embers from the Palisade fire into the area.
“The hillside vegetation is critically dry and susceptible to burning,” said Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott. A lack of fire in this area had allowed a build-up in brush that was now fuelling the fire in the Palisades. “Vegetation hasn’t burned here in 40-50 years.” Questions on preparedness are continuing, after Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered a review into the loss of water pressure from local fire hydrants and reported unavailability of water from the Santa Ynez Reservoir — calling these factors “deeply troubling for me and the community.” Earlier this week, 20 per cent of an estimated 1,000 hydrants in the Palisades area ran out of water.
The Los Angeles Department of Power and Water on Saturday said all the hydrants were “fully operational,” but some lost water pressure “due to unprecedented and extreme water demand to fight the wildfire without aerial support.”
Evan Golling, 17, and his brothers used a generator to pump pool water onto their house and yard Tuesday night. “The reservoir where everyone got the water was completely empty,” he said. “The fire hydrants were working to a point. Then they couldn’t do anything. There was not enough water and pressure.”
On Saturday, white ash rained down the barn-red buildings of trendy Brentwood Country Mart, on what would have normally been a busy morning for the cafes, stores and restaurants. The manager of the Sid Mashburn menswear store stood on the sidewalk, staring at the towering column of black smoke at nearby Will Rogers State Park, which had caused many Brentwood residents to evacuate Friday night. Most of the stores were open, and life appeared normal on the southern border of the evacuation line.
Howard and Beth Braunstein, who live on the non-evacuation side of San Vicente Boulevard, walked their dogs while nervously watching the fire’s progress in nearby hills.
The couple has had bags ready since Tuesday. “We packed photos, documents, jewellery, computers, clothes and face care,” said Beth Braunstein. “It’s important,” she said, over her husband’s chuckle.
Across the street, evacuated homeowners hoping to make a quick return to check on property and grab more possessions waited for a police escort. Nearly 100 cars were lined up early Saturday.
Volunteers stacked bottles of water, boxes of doughnuts and sandwiches outside the entrance to the Brentwood Park neighbourhood, the only ingress for residents of that neighbourhood and the Pacific Palisades. Members of the National Guard military police checked the identification of residents before letting them in, three cars at a time, accompanied by police.
Todd Kapostasy was in line for the second time. He’d tried to get to his Palisades house Friday, but the 6pm curfew halted entries before he could get past the checkpoint.
“Yesterday was tough,” Kapostasy said, who hoped to pick up a stroller and some clothes for his 18-month-old daughter. He estimated he had another three hours of waiting Saturday. A friend who had been able to reach the neighbourhood on Friday confirmed that Kapostasy’s house was still standing.
“My wife and I are so grateful,” Kapostasy said. “But after you get over the high of that, you start to wonder: ‘What would our life look like there?’” Only five of the 40 homes on Kapostasy’s block remain, he said.
Away from the Palisades fire, the Eaton fire in the Pasadena area had damaged or destroyed more than 7000 buildings, spanning more than 14,000 acres with 15 per cent containment Saturday.
The two fires are considered among the five most destructive wildfires in state history, according to preliminary data from the state’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
At least 16 people have been killed in fires across the wider Los Angeles area, whole neighbourhoods were razed and once heavily populated parts of the city were left as barren wastelands, covered in debris and thick ash. Thirteen people have been reported missing, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
A regional wildfire task force has been created to investigate the cause of the blazes in and around metropolitan Los Angeles, county officials said. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will be the lead agency, co-ordinating with local law enforcement, including the fire department’s arson and counter-terrorism unit.
Areas with mandatory evacuation orders remain under a 6pm to 6am curfew, Sheriff Luna said. The curfews are being strictly enforced to prevent burglaries and looting. Multiple arrests have been made of “individuals in areas they were not supposed to be,” he said.
“If you get arrested for a curfew violation, you are going to spend time in jail,” Luna said. “You are not going to get cited and released.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency had received 16,000 applications for relief as of Saturday. Homeowners applying for help for damaged or destroyed houses who have their own insurance need to call their insurers before making a FEMA claim, and be prepared with their policy number and other information, an agency spokesman said.
Reports of a glitch in the system that denied applications from homeowners with insurance are unfounded, according to the spokesman.
“We encourage anyone and everyone that was impacted by the fires to apply for assistance,” he said. “The system is working fine.”
Additional aid is available to homeowners and displaced residents who need help with rent relief, reimbursement for medications, funeral costs and more, the spokesman said.
Since the fires erupted five days ago, fuelled by strong Santa Ana winds and a bone-dry landscape, firefighters from the US and Mexico have arrived in California to help. Canada has also sent resources.
Firefighters have been co-ordinating aerial and ground offensives in an effort to get ahead of the blazes by Monday, when whipping Santa Ana winds are forecast to return.
Gusty winds of up to 45mph (72km/h) and low humidity Saturday hindered those efforts. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health declared a health emergency, as acrid smoke spread across the region.
“The fires, coupled with strong winds, have severely degraded air quality by releasing hazardous smoke and particulate matter, posing immediate and long-term risks to public health,” the department said Friday evening.
The fires continue to tear through the urban landscape, incinerating plastics, metals and other materials and creating a toxic soup of smoke and noxious substances that can be dangerous, even deadly.
President Joe Biden told reporters Friday the death toll would likely increase.
Firefighters were seeing more success elsewhere. The Lidia fire, in part of the Angeles National Forest north of the city, was 100 per cent contained early Saturday, and the Hurst fire, on the northern fringe of the San Fernando Valley, was at 76 per cent containment.
The Kenneth fire, which broke out Thursday afternoon near the West Hills neighbourhood north of Calabasas in the western San Fernando Valley, was 80 per cent contained.
The Wall Street Journal
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