Firefighters battle to corral Los Angeles fires before strong winds return

As forecasters once more warned of dangerous weather with the return of strong winds this week, firefighters continue to battle the raging wildfires that have killed 16 people in the Los Angeles region of California.

The US National Weather Service (NWS) warned that higher gusts of up to 110 km/h (70mph) could arrive early next week despite the calm over the weekend that the Santa Ana winds had caused.

The strongest winds are anticipated to be in on Tuesday, according to local authorities. Los Angeles and Ventura counties are still subject to red flag warnings through Wednesday, according to the NWS.

Conditions were expected to ease by Thursday.

The Pacific Palisades neighborhood fire spreads eastward, and ground crews reported that some homes had been saved, but others had been lost, according to KTLA television’s reporting.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath remarked, “LA County had yet another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak.”

Six simultaneous blazes have ripped across the second-largest US city since Tuesday, killing at least 16 people.

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office said in a statement on Saturday evening that five of the deaths were caused by the Palisades Fire, and eleven were caused by the Eaton Fire.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna reported on Sunday morning that four people were missing from the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire zone.

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, predicted an increase in the death toll.

“I’ve got search-and-rescue teams out. We’ve got cadaver dogs out and there’s likely to be a lot more”, he told NBC News.

According to Newsom, the fires are likely to be the worst natural disaster to have occurred in US history due to “the scale and scope” as well as the associated costs.

In a number of Sunday television interviews, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell stated that active duty military personnel are ready to support the firefighting effort. The agency has also urged local residents to start requesting disaster relief.

“We have the funding to support this response, to support this recovery”, she told ABC News.

The blazes have damaged or destroyed 12, 000 structures, fire officials said, as the flames have reduced whole neighbourhoods to smouldering ruins and left apocalyptic landscapes.

Officials reported on Saturday evening that the Palisades Fire had spread over an additional 1, 000 acres (400 hectares) over the past 24 hours, consuming more homes,

Cal Fire official Todd Hopkins said that while 11 percent of the Palisades Fire was now contained, it has burned more than 22, 000 acres (8, 900 hectares).

Hopkins told reporters that fire had spread into the Mandeville Canyon and threatened to jump into Brentwood, an upscale neighbourhood, and the San Fernando Valley. It also inched towards the north-south 405 freeway.

Al Jazeera’s Phil Lavelle, reporting from a helicopter above Los Angeles, said the scale of the destruction was vast.

Because these flames from the Palisades fire are moving towards densely populated areas, and their direction can change, he said, “you get a sense of how much danger still lies ahead.”

“One minute, they are heading towards places like Brentwood. Another direction they are taking is towards the crowded San Fernando Valley, home to tens of thousands of people.

Evacuation orders throughout the Los Angeles area now cover 153, 000 residents. Another 166, 000 residents have been warned that they may have to evacuate, Sheriff Luna said.

Trump slams local officials

Joe Biden, the US president, phoned officials to get updates on their progress and received briefings from aides about the federal resources being dispatched.

His declaration of a major disaster opened the door for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide assistance for those affected by the wildfires.

According to FEMA spokesman Michael Hart, support can range from money for home repairs to money to replace lost food or medication, adding that it can be delivered within days.

Additionally, Newsom authorized a court order to cut down on state government red tape for rebuilding destroyed homes and businesses.

However, US President-elect Donald Trump criticised local and state officials he believed had handled the situation badly.

“In LA, the fires are still raging.” The incompetent]politicians] have no idea how to put them out. Many more magnificent homes will soon be lost than the ones that were once destroyed. There are fatalities all over the place because they can’t start a fire. What’s wrong with them”? He stated in his Truth social media account.

Kathryn Barger, the chair of the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, announced to the media that she has invited Trump to travel to the area to see firsthand the destruction.

Source: Aljazeera