Los Angeles firefighters brace for return of extreme winds

Los Angeles firefighters on Tuesday braced for the return of dry, intense winds that could recharge two monstrous wildfires that have already killed at least 24 people, leveled entire neighbourhoods and scorched an area the size of Washington, D.C.

Much of Los Angeles and Ventura County could experience gusts of 80 to 112 kph from early Tuesday through Wednesday as dangerous Santa Ana winds picked up after relative calm since late last week, according to the National Weather Service.

The red flag warning, which the weather service designated as a rare “particularly dangerous situation,” raised fears that new fires could ignite and existing blazes could reenergise.

“This setup is about as bad as it gets,” Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told local residents. “We are not in the clear.”

In anticipation of the winds, more than 8,500 firefighters attacked the two biggest existing wildfires from the air and on the ground, aiming to prevent them from spreading overnight.

State authorities on Monday pre-positioned firefighting crews in Los Angeles and other Southern California counties that were under elevated fire danger.

The Palisades and Eaton fires erupted on the city’s western and eastern flanks during last week’s intense winds but crews made progress in controlling them since the weekend.

At least 24 people have died, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, but the death toll will likely rise, officials said, as crews carry out house-to-house searches in burnt-out neighbourhoods.

“We thank God we’re safe, but we don’t know what’s next,” said Altadena resident John Adolph, 48, a video producer who, along with his wife and two children, have been staying with friends since they lost their home in the Eaton fire a week ago.

Adolph went back to try to see what else he could salvage, but could not get close to where the house once stood.

“There were burning grocery stores, gas stations, exploding cars that went pop with glass flying, not like in the movies. Walls of flames two stories tall, tornadoes of flame. I was stupid with a side of crazy to try,” he said.

Highlighting the risks of the fresh bout of high winds, a small but fast-moving fire erupted overnight in scrubland in the bed of the Santa Clara River in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles. The fire was fully contained early on Tuesday, Cal Fire said.

The wildfires have destroyed or damaged more than 12,000 structures, turning entire neighbourhoods into smoldering ash and piles of rubble and leaving an apocalyptic landscape.

As of Monday, more than 92,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders - down from more than 150,000 - while a further 89,000 faced evacuation warnings.

The Palisades Fire, which wiped out upscale communities on the western flank of Los Angeles, has burned 23,713 acres and was 14% contained.

The Eaton Fire in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains east of the city consumed another 14,117 acres and was 33% contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported.

A third fire, the Hurst, spanning 799 acres was 95% contained, while three other fires in the county have been fully brought under control in recent days.

Deputies were finding human remains every day in burned-out parts of Altadena, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

“It is a very grim task,” Luna said, adding that he expects the confirmed death toll to rise in the days ahead.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has said that the firestorm could rank as the most devastating natural disaster in US history. It is already the costliest wildfire in terms of insured losses.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said on Monday that 10 people had been arrested in connection with the fires. Nine were arrested for residential burglaries of fire-stricken areas. One other person was arrested for arson after allegedly attempting to set a tree on fire in the city of Azusa, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

Reuters