The largest of Los Angeles’ deadly wildfires is changing direction, posing a new threat
The largest of the raging fires that have ravaged parts of Los Angeles this week was reported to have changed direction on Saturday, prompting more evacuation orders and posing a new challenge to exhausted firefighters.
Six simultaneous fires that have ripped through neighborhoods in Los Angeles County since Tuesday have killed at least 11 people and damaged or destroyed more than 10,000 structures. The damage is expected to increase when firefighters are able to conduct house-to-house searches.
Santa Ana’s ferocious, inferno-fanning winds subsided Friday night. But the Palisades Fire on the city’s western edge was moving in a new direction, prompting another evacuation order as it neared the Brentwood neighborhood and the foothills of the San Fernando Valley, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“The Palisades fire has had significant new fire on the eastern side and is continuing northeast,” Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Erik Scott told local station KTLA, according to a report on the LA Times site.
The fire, the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles, razed entire neighborhoods to the ground, leaving only the smoldering ruins of what had been the house and the possessions of the people.
Devastating fires continue to burn in Los Angeles and Southern California. Nearly 10,000 structures were damaged or destroyed, with more than 180,000 people displaced. Andrew Chang explains how drought conditions and Santa Ana winds contributed to the largest of the fires, the Palisades Fire in LA County, and why firefighters are struggling to contain it. Images collected from Reuters, Getty Images and The Canadian Press.
Before the last flare-up, firefighters had reported progress in subduing the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire in the foothills east of the metropolis after burning out of control for days. As of Friday night, the Palisades Fire was eight percent contained and the Eaton Fire three percent, the state Cal Fire agency said.
The two major fires combined had consumed 14,100 acres, or 141 square miles—almost 2½ times the land area of Manhattan.
About 153,000 people remained under evacuation orders and another 166,800 faced evacuation notices, with a 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in place for all evacuation zones, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. .
Seven neighboring states, the United States federal government and Canada they rushed aid to California, reinforcing aerial crews dumping water and fire retardant on the burning hillsides and ground crews attacking fire lines with hand tools and hoses.
Wind speed may increase next week
The US National Weather Service (NWS) said conditions in the Los Angeles area will improve over the weekend, with sustained winds slowing to about 32 km/h, gusting between 56 km/h and 80 km/h. h.
“It’s not that strong, so that should help the firefighters,” said NWS meteorologist Allison Santorelli, adding that conditions were still critical with low humidity and dry vegetation.
Cal Fire said there was a chance for strong winds again Tuesday.
“There will continue to be a high chance of critical fire weather conditions through next week,” he said.
On Friday, the US Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency for California due to the dense and toxic smoke.
Houses reduced to ashes
Residents of Pacific Palisades who ventured into their devastated neighborhoods Friday were shocked to find brick chimneys towering over charred debris and burned vehicles as acrid smoke lingered in the air.
“This was a house that was loved,” Kelly Foster, 44, said as she combed through the rubble where her home once stood.
A series of images from Google and Reuters show some of the devastation in Los Angeles, where raging fires have destroyed at least 10,000 structures. (Photo credit: Google/Reuters)
Foster’s daughter Ada, 16, said she tried to get in, but “I’m just sick. I couldn’t even … Yeah, it’s hard.”
In Rick McGeagh’s Palisades neighborhood, only six of 60 houses survived, and all that remained in his ranch house was a statue of the Virgin Mary.
“Everything else is ash and rubble,” said McGeagh, 61, a commercial real estate broker who, with his wife, raised three children in their home.
Francois Auroux recounts the moment he went to check on his neighbors in California and ended up fleeing the Palisades fire by bicycle, running through the flames in a desperate attempt to get back to his family.
On Friday morning, hundreds of people gathered in a parking lot near the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California, for donated clothing, diapers and bottled water.
Denise Doss, 63, said she was eager to return to her destroyed home in Altadena, Calif., to see if anything was salvageable, but officials stopped her because of safety concerns.
“At least to say goodbye until we can rebuild. I’ll let God lead me,” Doss said.
Billions in losses
Many Altadena residents said they were worried that government resources would go to wealthier areas and that insurers could short-change those who can’t afford to contest the denial of fire claims.
Beyond those who lost their homes, tens of thousands remained without power, and millions of people were exposed to poorer air quality as the fires left traces of metal, plastic and other materials synthetic
Private forecaster AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic loss at $135 billion to $150 billion US, portending a tough recovery and insurance costs for homeowners.
Unprecedented fires in Los Angeles County are fueled by unusually dry weather and hurricane-force winds, and experts warn that the problem is not unique to California.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara asked insurers on Friday to suspend non-renewals and pending cancellations that homeowners received before the fires started and to extend the period of grace for payments.
President Joe Biden declared that the fires were a major disaster and said that the US government would reimburse 100 percent of the recovery for the next six months.
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2025-01-11 15:01:00
