Search for bodies as LA firefighters brace for more wind

Search for bodies as LA firefighters brace for more wind

Search teams with dogs fanned out looking for victims in Los Angeles on Monday, as firefighters girded for hurricane-force winds that could spark new blazes. 

With the disaster in America's second biggest city in its seventh day, 24 people are known to have died -- a toll expected to rise -- and more than 90,000 people remain displaced.

But the first glimmers of normal life have begun to re-emerge.

Schools -- shuttered since roaring winds spread flames through whole communities -- re-opened, while the beloved Los Angeles Lakers basketball team was set to play Monday night.

However, with strong Santa Ana winds returning, California officials were bracing for new problems.

Forecasters say "extremely critical fire weather conditions" were developing in the region, and would last until Wednesday, with winds already gusting to 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour in parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

"Not only will these extreme and dangerous conditions make fighting ongoing fires much more difficult, but these will make new ignitions much more likely," the National Weather Service said.

- Children -

The renewed danger was doing little to soothe frayed nerves, with parents struggling to make sense of the disaster for their children.

Zahrah Mihm, whose Altadena neighborhood was levelled, said she hoped to minimize the trauma for four-year-old Ethan.

"I'm trying to take this moment out of his mind, and just be like, 'It's all good. Our house got a little owie, we are gonna fix it. It's gonna be fine,'" she said, still wearing the slippers in which she fled last week's blaze.

There was some good news for youngsters, as hundreds of thousands of children went back to classrooms -- though damaged schools and those in evacuation zones remained closed. 

Nine people have been charged in connection with looting in no-go areas, Los Angeles County's chief prosecutor said.

The charges include for one burglary that netted $200,000, and one in which an Emmy statuette was stolen, said District Attorney Nathan Hochman.

Meanwhile teams with cadaver dogs were going plot-to-plot in ruined areas searching for victims.

"It is a very grim task, and we unfortunately, every day we're doing this, we're running across the remains of individual community members," County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

"That is not easy work," he said, adding: "I believe we'll continue to find remains."

- Fresh resources - 

The Palisades Fire has consumed almost 24,000 acres (9,700 hectares) and was 14 percent contained, with limited fire activity at its boundaries.

The Eaton Fire stood at 14,000 acres and one third containment.

More than 12,000 structures lie in ruins, a figure that includes homes, outbuildings and some vehicles.

US President Joe Biden said it will "cost tens of billions of dollars to get Los Angeles back where it was."

"We're going to need Congress to step up to provide the funding to get this done," the outgoing president said, in a briefing with emergency officials.

A huge firefighting effort was concentrating on mopping up hotspots, with Los Angeles fire chief Kristin Crowley telling reporters strike teams were ready for the wind, which is expected to worsen on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Operations were bolstered by teams from across the western United States and from neighboring countries.

Mexican firefighter Benigno Hernandez Cerino said he and his countrymen were honored to help.

"Our mission is to support our brothers and sisters in Los Angeles, and to do the best possible job to help them prevent fires," he told AFP.

Elon Musk, who along with president-elect Donald Trump has sharply criticized authorities' handling of the fires, sent several Cybertrucks with Starlink satellite internet terminals to assist.

- Hollywood responds -

The body that awards the Oscars said it was cancelling its ritzy nominees' luncheon, as Hollywood tries to navigate the somber mood at a time it would usually be celebrating award season.

It also moved its Academy Awards nomination announcement online.

Major studios and streamers including Netflix, Disney, Amazon, Warner and Universal parent company Comcast have all announced eight-figure donations.

A dozen city sports clubs among them the Lakers, and the Dodgers baseball team, have pledged $8 million toward wildfire relief.

Fire investigation experts combed the wreckage looking for clues to what caused the blazes, with residents desperate for answers and social media overflowing with unsubstantiated videos showing everything from hikers to power lines seemingly at fault.

While wildfires can be deliberately ignited, they are often natural and a vital part of an environment's life cycle.

But urban sprawl puts people more frequently in harm's way, and the changing climate -- supercharged by humanity's unchecked use of fossil fuels -- is exacerbating the conditions that give rise to destructive blazes.

hg-amz/bs

Originally published as Search for bodies as LA firefighters brace for more wind