LOS ANGELES –
After spending a weekend blocking the explosive growth of fires that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people in the Los Angeles area, firefighters had a slight respite with calmer weather but cautiously watched the forecast of even more wind.
If that happened, already burned houses and valleys could burn again, sending embers into unburned territory miles downwind. New fires could aggravate the complication.
The death toll rose Sunday night with an update from the Los Angeles County medical examiner. At least 16 people were missing, a figure that authorities said was also likely to rise.
However, the relative calm on Sunday allowed some people to return to previously evacuated areas.
The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions through Wednesday, with sustained winds of 80 km/h and gusts in the mountains reaching 113 km/h. The most dangerous day will be Tuesday, fire behavior analyst Dennis Burns warned at a community meeting Sunday night.
“In the next few days there will be ups and downs,” Burns said. “Tomorrow night, the situation will really escalate.”
Sightings (new fires caused by embers) could occur up to 2 miles or more downwind of areas that have already burned, Burns said.
Despite their recent losses, stress and uncertainty, the crowd in a Pasadena City College gymnasium was mostly respectful, in contrast to harsh criticism elsewhere of leaders in Los Angeles and California. Applause followed each of the experts, police officers, firefighters and community leaders who spoke.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said 70 additional tankers arrived to help firefighters fend off flames spread by new gusts. “We are prepared for the next wind event,” Marrone said.
Aircraft-dropped fire retardant will act as a barrier along the slopes, officials said.
Fierce Santa Ana winds have been largely blamed for turning last week’s wildfires into infernos that leveled entire neighborhoods around the city where there has been no significant rain in more than eight months.
Twelve people were missing within the Eaton Fire area and four were missing in the Palisades Fire, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. Investigators are reconciling whether some of the missing could be among the dead, but so far there are no children among those reported missing, he said.
Meanwhile, the death toll rose to 24 over the weekend. According to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, eight deaths were attributed to the Palisades Fire and 16 to the Eaton Fire.
The number of victims could rise further as cadaver dogs systematically search razed neighborhoods. The authorities established a center where people could report the missing.
Authorities were also creating an online database to allow evacuated residents to see if their homes were damaged or destroyed. Meanwhile, Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley urged people to stay away from charred neighborhoods.
“There are still active fires within the Palisades area, making it extremely dangerous for the public,” Crowley said in a briefing Sunday morning. “There is no electricity, there is no water, there are broken gas pipes and we have unstable structures.”
Authorities warned that the ashes may contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other harmful materials.
About 150,000 people in Los Angeles County remained under evacuation orders, and more than 700 residents took shelter in nine shelters, Luna said. Officials said it was unlikely that most orders in the Palisades area would be lifted before red flag warnings expire Wednesday night.
“Rest assured, first thing Thursday we will start talking about repopulation,” Marrone said.
In total, four fires had consumed more than 100 square miles, an area larger than San Francisco. The Palisades Fire was 11 percent contained and the Eaton Fire was at 27 percent containment. Those two fires alone accounted for almost 153 square kilometers.
Crews from California and nine other states are part of the ongoing response that includes nearly 1,400 fire trucks, 84 aircraft and more than 14,000 personnel, including firefighters recently arrived from Mexico.
Fighting to save public and private spaces
After a fierce battle on Saturday, firefighters managed to battle the flames in Mandeville Canyon, home of Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities near Pacific Palisades, not far from the coast, where helicopters dropped water as the fire moved downhill.
The fire moved across chaparral-covered hillsides and also briefly threatened to jump Interstate 405 and reach densely populated areas in the Hollywood Hills and the San Fernando Valley.
Arrests for looting
Looting continued to be a concern and authorities reported more arrests as the devastation grew. Among those arrested were two people who posed as firefighters entering homes, said Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Michael Lorenz.
With California National Guard troops available to protect property, Governor Gavin Newsom posted on X: “California will NOT allow looting.”
Historical cost
The fires that started Tuesday just north of downtown Los Angeles burned more than 12,000 structures. The cause of the larger fires has not been determined.
Early estimates suggest they could be the most expensive ever recorded in the country, up to $150 billion according to an AccuWeather estimate.
Inmate firefighters on the front line
Along with teams from other states and Mexico, hundreds of inmates from the California prison system were also helping fight the fires. Nearly 950 prison firefighters were removing wood and brush ahead of the fires to slow their spread, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The practice is controversial because inmates are paid little for dangerous and difficult work: $10.24 a day, and more for 24-hour shifts, according to the corrections department.
Reconstruction will be a challenge
Newsom issued an executive order Sunday aimed at speeding up rebuilding by suspending some environmental regulations and ensuring that property tax assessments would not be raised.
“We have to let people know that we have their back,” he said. “We want them to come back and rebuild and rebuild to higher quality construction standards and more modern standards.”
According to the White House, more than 24,000 people had registered for federal assistance available following President Joe Biden’s major disaster declaration.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Sunday that she had spoken with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump and hoped they would visit the city.
Leadership accused of skimping
Bass faces a critical test of his leadership during the city’s biggest crisis in decades, but accusations of leadership failures, political blame and investigations have begun.
Newsom on Friday ordered state officials to determine why a 440 million liter reservoir was out of service and some hydrants had run dry.
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Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press writers Julie Walker in New York, Sophia Tareen in Chicago, Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia and Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyoming, contributed.
