LA Wildfires: Death Toll Rises to 24 as Winds Threaten Further Destruction
By Staff, Agencies
The county of Los Angeles medical examiner published a list of fatalities without giving details of any identities. Eight of the dead were found in the Palisades fire zone, and 16 in the Eaton fire zone, the document said.
Officials in California warned on Sunday that strengthening winds in the coming days threatened to expand the destruction through the city that has already seen many neighborhoods erased. More than 1,800 total structures had been destroyed by the two fires with upwards of 10,000 damaged.
Three wildfires were still burning Sunday in Los Angeles, where more than 150,000 people remained under an evacuation warning. Firefighters said shifting Santa Ana winds could blow the Palisades fire, which has razed almost 24000 acres, back on itself towards the coast.
At a news conference on Sunday afternoon, officials said more than 4,700 personnel were assigned to stopping the blazes from spreading as winds are forecast to pick up again from tonight through Wednesday.
Christian Litz, a battalion chief with the LA county fire department, said the Palisades fire was “looking really good as far as flame activity but there’s still heat all along the edges” and crew were still working to ensure there was “no fire progression or to limit it as much as possible.”
Litz said that in addition to fire crews clearing a fire perimeter, or contingency line, the department had deployed “an abundance” of airborne fire-fighting resources.
“We have airplanes, we have helicopters, even drones. We’re dropping retardant, we’re dropping water everywhere we can to secure that edge,” he added.
Rich Thompson with the National Weather Service said the winds that had driven what he called “very extreme fire behavior” last week were set to return but with lower intensity.
“Unfortunately, we’re still under a Santa Ana wind pattern and have expectation of moderate to strong winds through Wednesday … with gusts anywhere from 35 to 55 miles per hour.” The wind and dry conditions, he added, were “a recipe to produce some very critical fire weather conditions”.
LA fire chief Kristin Crowley said the impending winds demanded very close attention. “This wind event is approaching us, and approaching us very, very quickly,” she said, and sought to reassure Los Angelenos that city leaders were “ready for this next event”. Crowley also asked the community to stay informed, “with trusted news and official updates” and “be prepared to evacuate.”
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, said on Sunday the fires would be the worst natural disaster in US history, “in terms of just the costs associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope”.
Newsom told NBC’s Meet the Press he had signed an executive order that would speed up disaster relief for victims. More than 12,300 homes and businesses have been destroyed, and more than 200,000 people displaced.
Meanwhile president-elect Donald Trump, who returns to the White House in eight days, continued to point fingers, taking to his Truth Social platform to level new criticism at Newsom and other California officials for alleged mismanagement before and during the outbreaks.
Trump and other Republican politicians have singled out the beleaguered Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, for signing a budget that stripped $17m from the Los Angeles fire department.
“The fires are still raging in LA. The incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out. What’s wrong with them?” Trump wrote. He has made a succession of false claims aimed at Newsom and other Democrats.
