The largest of the raging wildfires that have devastated parts of Los Angeles this week reportedly changed direction Saturday, prompting more evacuation orders and posing a new challenge for exhausted firefighters.
Six simultaneous fires that have torn through Los Angeles County neighborhoods since Tuesday have killed at least 11 people and damaged or destroyed more than 10,000 structures. The number of casualties is expected to rise when firefighters are able to conduct house-to-house searches.
The strong Santa Ana winds that fanned the fires subsided Friday night. But the Los Angeles Times reported that the Palisades Fire on the city’s western edge was heading in a new direction, prompting another evacuation order as it moved toward the Brentwood neighborhood and the foothills of the San Fernando Valley.
“The Palisades Fire has created a new major flare in the eastern portion and is continuing to the northeast,” Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Eric Scott told local station KTLA, according to a report on the Los Angeles Times website.
The fire, the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history, leveled entire neighborhoods, leaving only the smoldering ruins of what had been people’s homes and property.
Devastating wildfires are still burning across Los Angeles and Southern California. Nearly 10,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and more than 180,000 people were displaced. Andrew Chang explains how drought conditions and Santa Ana winds contributed to the largest fire, the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles County, and why firefighters are struggling to contain it. Images collected from Reuters, Getty Images, and The Canadian Press.
Before the latest blaze, firefighters reported progress in extinguishing the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire in the foothills east of the city after it raged out of control for several days. The Palisades fire Friday night was 8 percent contained and the Eaton fire was 3 percent contained, state agency Cal Fire said.
Combined, the two large fires burned 14,100 hectares, or 141 square kilometers, nearly twice the land area of Manhattan.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said about 153,000 people were still under evacuation orders, and another 166,800 faced evacuation warnings, with a curfew imposed from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in all evacuation zones.
Seven neighboring states and the US federal government and Canada They rushed aid to California, augmented by air teams dropping water and fire retardant onto the burning hills, and crews on the ground attacking fire lines with hand tools and hoses.
Wind speed may increase next week
The US National Weather Service (NWS) said conditions in the Los Angeles area will improve over the weekend, with sustained winds slowing to about 32 kilometers per hour, and speeds ranging between 56 kilometers per hour and 80 kilometers per hour.
“It’s not windy, so that should help firefighters,” said Alison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, adding that conditions remain critical with low humidity and dry vegetation.
Cal Fire said there is a chance of strong winds again on Tuesday.
“There will still be a high probability of fire weather conditions over the next week,” she added.
On Friday, the US Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency in California due to the thick, toxic smoke.
Houses turned to ashes
Residents of Pacific Palisades, who ventured back to their devastated neighborhoods on Friday, were shocked to find brick chimneys looming above charred waste and burned-out vehicles as acrid smoke lingered in the air.
“This was a beloved home,” Kelly Foster, 44, said as she combed through the rubble where her home once stood.
A series of images from Google and Reuters show some of the devastation in Los Angeles, where raging wildfires have destroyed at least 10,000 buildings. (Image source: Google/Reuters)
Foster’s 16-year-old daughter, Ada, said she tried to get in but “I just got sick. I couldn’t even… yeah, it’s hard.”
In Rick McGaig’s Palisades neighborhood, only six of the 60 homes survived, and all that remained standing at his farmhouse was a statue of the Virgin Mary.
“Everything else is ashes and rubble,” said McGaig, 61, a commercial real estate broker who, along with his wife, raised three children in their home.
François Ouro recounts the moment he went to check on his neighbors in California and ended up fleeing the Palisades wildfires on a bicycle, racing through the flames in a desperate attempt to get back to his family.
On Friday morning, hundreds of people streamed into a parking lot near the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, to pick up donated clothes, diapers and bottled water.
Denise Doss, 63, said she was eager to return to her devastated home in Altadena, California, to see if there was anything that could be saved, but officials held her back due to safety concerns.
“At least let’s say goodbye so we can rebuild. I’ll let God lead me,” Doss said.
Losses in billions
Many Altadena residents said they worry that government resources will go to wealthier areas and that insurance companies may turn to those who can’t afford to appeal fire claim denials.
Along with those who lost their homes, tens of thousands remained without power, and millions of people were exposed to poor-quality air, as fires left traces of metal, plastic and other synthetic materials.
Private weather forecasting company AccuWeather estimated damage and economic losses at between $135 billion and $150 billion, portending an arduous recovery and higher insurance costs for homeowners.
Unprecedented wildfires in Los Angeles County are being exacerbated by unusually dry weather and hurricane-force winds, and experts warn the problem is not unique to California.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara called on insurers on Friday to suspend pending non-renewals and cancellations homeowners received before the fires started and extend the grace period for payments.
President Joe Biden declared the fires a major disaster and said the US government would reimburse 100 percent of recovery costs for the next six months.
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