Los Angeles braces for resurgent winds as wildfire death toll rises
Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be particularly dangerous days as winds increase to 112km/h, complicating containment efforts.
Los Angeles has girded for another gruelling week, with the death count from historic wildfires climbing and stronger winds forecast that could complicate containment efforts.
The number of fatalities from fires that have ravaged the region for almost a week rose to 24 from 16, as search-and-rescue efforts continued.
Firefighters made progress suppressing some of the blazes over the weekend. Still, officials worried that strong Santa Ana winds forecast early this week might fuel further spread, hinder aerial retardant drops and put further strain on public safety resources.
Firefighters prepared for new blazes to spark on Monday while search-and-rescue crews surveyed communities flattened by the flames to find residents’ remains.
Nearly 13 million people were under red-flag warnings relating to critical or extreme fire danger across Southern California from San Diego to north of Santa Barbara.
“We are not in the clear as of yet,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said. “We must not let our guard down.”
Wind gusts are expected to pick up Monday, reaching speeds in excess of 70 miles an hour (112km/h) by Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.
A combination of powerful winds, low humidity and dry brush and vegetation can accelerate wildfires, threatening progress on the destructive blazes and fuelling the quick spread of new ones.
President Joe Biden said his outgoing administration would respond quickly to any additional requests for federal assistance.
“My administration remains laser-focused on helping survivors and we will continue to use every tool available to support the urgent firefight as the winds are projected to increase,” Biden said on Monday.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are holding a briefing at the White House later Monday on the federal response to the wildfires.
Los Angeles fire department leaders said they were better prepared to face the challenging conditions this week, with thousands of firefighters battling the two largest fires and engine strike teams positioning themselves to be able to respond to any new ones that spark.
“We’re still in a very dynamic situation here,” Jim Hudson, an incident commander with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said in an operations briefing for firefighters battling the Palisades fire on Monday.
“The expectation today is that everyone remains diligent and flexible.”
The Palisades fire on the west side of the city, which has charred more than 23,700 acres, was 14 per cent contained early Monday, according to Cal Fire. More than 5000 firefighting personnel, including crews from Mexico and Canada, were battling the fire nearly a week after it sparked.
Dozens of fire and water trucks were staked out Monday in the Riviera neighbourhood in anticipation of high winds that could fan the Palisades fire’s flames or help new blazes grow quickly.
Landscaping and tree-trimming companies were busy clearing vegetation from around houses and power lines.
At least one home in the wealthy, hilly enclave was destroyed by the flames last week. A mansion near the top of the neighbourhood was surrounded by charred earth, its eaves doused with pink fire retardant.
The Eaton fire to the east in Altadena and Pasadena was 33 per cent contained Monday after the fire didn’t grow in acreage Sunday, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said. The devastating fire has ripped through more than 14,000 acres and destroyed thousands of homes, buildings and other structures.
Meanwhile, a third blaze, the Hurst fire in the northern San Fernando Valley, was 95 per cent contained.
More than 92,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders on Monday – a slightly smaller figure than a day prior – an additional 89,000 under evacuation warnings, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Los Angeles leaders warned these orders and warnings could grow.
Marrone, the county fire chief, told Los Angeles residents to prepare to evacuate their homes even if they receive warnings, rather than mandatory orders.
That way they may be less likely to get caught in possible congestion that made fleeing areas like the Palisades last week more challenging.
At least 24 people have been reported dead, according to the county medical examiner’s office.
Luna, the county sheriff, said officials searching Altadena are finding the remains of community members each day.
“It is a very grim task,” Luna said.
He asked residents anxious to check on their homes for patience.
“We have people literally looking for the remains of your neighbours,” he said.
While life remains at a standstill for residents evacuated from areas the fires threatened, other parts of Los Angeles are restarting familiar routines.
Students returned to Los Angeles Unified School District campuses across the city on Monday. They were encouraged to wear masks on their way to school, and outdoor activities were limited. Seven of about 800 schools were still affected by mandatory evacuation zones or burn damage.
The University of Southern California just south of downtown began its spring semester in-person Monday.
Pepperdine University in Malibu plans to hold undergraduate and most graduate classes online through Sunday; the University of California, Los Angeles in the city’s Westwood neighbourhood will hold remote classes through Friday.
Some film productions were starting back up while others remained on hold.
CBS resumed production on Monday on shows including “NCIS” and “The Neighbourhood,” while the late-night show “After Midnight” was still paused.
Sony Pictures Television’s “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” were also paused.
The Grammy Awards were set to air as planned on February 2, the Recording Academy said.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bumped the date of its Oscar nominee announcements for the second time, now to January 23, because of the wildfires.
The Academy also extended the Oscar nomination voting deadline for its roughly 9990 members to this Friday. It cancelled the February 10 nominee luncheon and rescheduled the ceremony for the Scientific and Technical Awards.
The main awards show broadcast will go on as planned on March 2, it said.
Home owners and business owners who lost property in the Eaton fire have filed at least two lawsuits blaming Southern California Edison for starting and failing to prevent the fire in Los Angeles state court.
The utility company said the cause of the fire is under investigation, and it will review the lawsuits when they are received.
The disaster in Los Angeles might amount to the most expensive fire in modern global history, according to preliminary estimates.
Insurance brokers are raising their estimates for total losses to insurers, with Everscore ISI analysts projecting $25 billion in total losses.
The weather service said that winds were likely to die down by late Thursday and into the weekend.
“Hopefully that will help things and relative humidity will increase later in the week too,” said Hurley, the meteorologist.
Alyssa Lukpat, Kayleen Schaefer, Ken Thomas and Erin Mulvaney contributed to this article.
The Wall Street Journal
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