Red flag raised over Los Angeles as strong winds return
LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles firefighters braced for high winds overnight into Tuesday, gusts that could fuel two monstrous wildfires that have already leveled entire neighborhoods, killed at least two dozen people, and burned an area the size of Washington.
The National Weather Service raised a red flag warning on Monday as dry, dangerous Santa Ana winds picked up speed. Gusts could hit 120 kph starting at around 4 a.m. Tuesday, said David Roth, a meteorologist with the NWS’ Weather Prediction Center.
More than 8,500 firefighters attacked the fires from the air and on the ground, preventing the conflagrations at either end of Los Angeles from spreading overnight.
“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.”
Officials said California state authorities were prepositioning firefighting crews in Los Angeles as well as other Southern California counties that were also under elevated fire danger.
New blaze
Highlighting the risks, a new small but fast-moving fire erupted in scrubland in the bed of the Santa Clara River in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles.
Ground crews and several helicopters were working to contain what had been dubbed the Auto Fire, which was burning near a golf course but not yet threatening homes.
The two main wildfires erupted last week, fueled by hurricane-force winds bringing dry air from inland deserts.
At least 24 people have died in the fires since then, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
The wildfires have destroyed or damaged more than 12,000 structures, turning entire neighborhoods into smoldering ash and piles of rubble, leaving an apocalyptic landscape.
As of Monday, more than 92,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders—down from a previous high of 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, burned 9,500 hectares and was 14 percent contained, a figure representing the percentage of the fire’s perimeter that firefighters have under control.
Human remains
The Eaton Fire in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains east of the city consumed another 5,700 ha and was 33 percent contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported.
A third fire of 3,200 ha north of town was 95 percent contained and three other fires in the county have been fully brought under control in recent days.
Deputies are finding human remains every day as they search through burned-out parts of Altadena, where the Eaton fire first ignited, Los Angeles County sheriff Robert Luna said.
“It is a very grim task,” Luna said, adding that he expected the confirmed death toll to rise in the days ahead.
Los Angeles County district attorney Nathan Hochman on Monday said 10 people had been arrested in connection with the fires. Nine people were arrested for residential burglaries of fire-stricken areas. One other person was arrested for arson, for allegedly attempting to set a tree on fire in the city of Azusa, about 32 km northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
