According to a new report released Sunday evening, Los Angeles is preparing for the return of strong winds that could exacerbate the wildfires that have left the city in ruins and claimed 24 lives.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Department reports that the number of fatalities in the second-most populated city in the United States, which has been under fire since Tuesday, has increased to 24.
According to AFP correspondents on the scene, home estates in regions where the flames have now subsided are now just heaps of ashes and rubble.
When Jannell Gruss was cleaning hair from her stables after dark in the Altadena neighbourhood, she stated she was afraid she would die.
“There was a lot of smoke, it was dark, I couldn’t see anything,” she told AFP from the temporary housing of six horses at the Los Angeles Equestrian Centre. She made the sign of the cross and stated, “I thought maybe I was going to be one of those victims you hear about,”
Hot, dry winds are predicted to pick up speed again through Wednesday after a brief break, making the firefighters’ job more challenging.
According to meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld, the U.S. weather service is forecasting “extreme fire behaviour and life-threatening conditions” that would peak with gusts of 70 mph in a “particularly dangerous situation” beginning Tuesday morning.
Residents who may wait hours to get clothing or medication from their houses, or just to check whether their home has been damaged or not, were urged to exercise patient as firefighters warned that the winds will prohibit any evacuees from returning before Thursday.
“A lot of areas still look like they were bombed,” Robert Luna, the sheriff for Los Angeles County, remarked.
Evaluations
On Saturday, the Palisades Fire advanced northwest of Los Angeles and is now posing a threat to the heavily populated San Fernando Valley, despite the efforts of thousands of firefighters on the ground.
According to preliminary estimates by authorities, the fires have destroyed or damaged around 12,000 structures, including homes, other buildings, and even caravans.
Because firemen have occasionally had to deal with low pressure or empty hydrants, many locals are starting to doubt the management of the authorities.
Karen Bass, the widely criticised Democratic mayor of Los Angeles, claimed on Saturday that her agencies were “all on the same page.” The fire chief had mentioned the city’s inadequate fireman budget the day before.
Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, demanded “a comprehensive independent review” of the city’s water systems on Friday.
On Sunday, Donald Trump launched a fresh assault on the way local officials were managing the wildfires. He claimed on his Truth Social platform that “incompetent politicians have no idea how to put them out.”
“Marshall Plan”
Due to looting in communities that have been evacuated or affected by disasters, the most damaged parts of Altadena and the Pacific Palisades are now subject to a rigorous curfew that runs from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Authorities said on Sunday that they had arrested a number of people, including one dressed as a firefighter, who were accused of committing burglaries.
Some experts already worry that the fires will be the most expensive on record, with damage estimated to reach the tens of billions of dollars.
The governor of the state stated on NBC on Sunday that he intends to implement a “Marshall Plan” to rebuild California and loosen certain rules to enable citizens to promptly reconstruct their destroyed homes.
Dogs that sniff
Rescuers in the city are still searching the debris for bodies with the help of sniffer dogs.
Firefighters have arrived to assist with the fires from all throughout California and the American West. On Sunday evening, Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, promised to deploy 150 Ukrainian firefighters to help them.
Robert Luna, the sheriff of Los Angeles County, noted on Saturday that the FBI is still involved in the investigation to identify the causes of these numerous fires.
One of the hallmarks of California’s fall and winter is the hot, dry Santa Ana winds that have fuelled these fires. But this time, according to meteorologists, they intensified to a level not seen since 2011, with gusts of up to 100 mph this week.
Enough to swiftly, sometimes for kilometres, disseminate the embers. After two extremely rainy years that produced lush vegetation, California is currently experiencing an eight-month drought, which is a horrible situation for firemen.
Extreme weather occurrences are becoming more frequent due to climate change, as scientists frequently note.