Los Angeles’ largest of the deadliest wildfires is changing direction, posing a new threat
The largest of the raging wildfires that have ravaged parts of Los Angeles this week reportedly changed direction Saturday, prompting new evacuation orders and posing a new challenge for exhausted firefighters.
Six simultaneous fires that have ripped through Los Angeles County neighborhoods since Tuesday have killed at least 11 people and damaged or destroyed more than 10,000 structures. The toll is expected to increase when firefighters are able to conduct house-to-house searches.
Santa Ana’s fierce, inferno-fueled winds subsided Friday night. But the Palisades Fire on the city’s western edge was heading in a new direction, prompting a new evacuation order as it neared the Brentwood neighborhood and the foothills of the San Fernando Valley, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“The Palisades fire has gained significant new flare on the east side and is continuing to the northeast,” Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott told local station KTLA, according to a report on the LA Times website.
The fire, the most devastating in the history of Los Angeles, razed entire neighborhoods to the ground, leaving only the smoldering ruins of what were once people’s homes and possessions.
Devastating wildfires continue to burn across Los Angeles and Southern California. Almost 10,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and more than 180,000 people were displaced. Andrew Chang explains how dry conditions and Santa Ana winds contributed to the largest fire, the Palisades Fire in LA 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 on the Palisades and Eaton Fires in the foothills east of the metropolis after burning out of control for days. As of Friday night, the Palisades Fire was eight percent contained and the Eaton Fire was three percent contained, the state Cal Fire Agency said.
The two large fires combined consumed 14,100 hectares, or 141 square kilometers – almost 2½ times the area of Manhattan.
About 153,000 people remained under evacuation orders and another 166,800 were given evacuation warnings, with a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for all evacuation zones, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Seven contiguous states, the US federal government and Canada aid rushed to California, reinforcing aerial teams dropping water and fire retardants on the burning hills and ground crews attacking the fire lines with hand tools and hoses.
Wind relief could increase next week
The US National Weather Service (NWS) said conditions in the Los Angeles area will improve over the weekend, with sustained winds decreasing to about 20 mph, with gusts between 35 mph and 50 mph.
“It’s not as stormy, so that should help the firefighters,” NWS meteorologist Allison Santorelli said, adding that conditions remain critical with low humidity and dry vegetation.
Cal Fire said strong winds are possible again on Tuesday.
“There will continue to be a high probability of critical fire weather conditions over the next week,” it said.
On Friday, the US Department of Health and Human Services declared a state of emergency in California due to thick, toxic smoke.
Houses reduced to ashes
Residents of Pacific Palisades who ventured back into their devastated neighborhoods on Friday were shocked to find brick chimneys towering over charred debris and charred vehicles as acrid smoke lingered in the air.
“This was the house they loved,” said Kelly Foster, 44, as she combed through the rubble where her house once stood.
A series of images from Google and Reuters show some of the destruction in Los Angeles, where wildfires have destroyed at least 10,000 structures. (Photo: Google/Reuters)
Foster’s 16-year-old daughter, Ada, said she tried to go inside, but “I just got sick. I just couldn’t even… Yeah, it’s hard.”
In Rick McGeagh’s Palisades neighborhood, only six of 60 homes survived, and all that was left standing in his ranch house was a statue of the Virgin Mary.
“All that’s left is ashes and rubble,” said McGeagh, 61, a commercial real estate broker who raised three children in their home with his wife.
Francois Auroux recalls the moment he went to check on his neighbors in California and ended up fleeing the Palisades wildfire on his bicycle, racing through the flames in a desperate attempt to get back to his family.
On Friday morning, hundreds of people flocked to the parking lot near the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California to collect donated clothes, diapers and bottled water.
Denise Doss, 63, said she was eager to return to her destroyed home in Altadena, Calif., to see if anything could be salvaged, but officers stopped her for safety reasons.
“At least let’s say goodbye until we rebuild. I’ll let God lead me,” Doss said.
Billions in losses
Many Altadena residents said they were concerned that government funding would go to wealthier areas and that insurers could fail those who can’t afford to contest fire claim denials.
In addition to those who lost their homes, tens of thousands were left without power, and millions of people were exposed to poorer air quality as the fires released traces of metal, plastic and other synthetic materials.
Private forecaster AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic loss at US$135 billion to US$150 billion, hinting at a difficult recovery and a spike in homeowners’ insurance costs.
Unprecedented wildfires in Los Angeles County are being fueled by unusually dry weather and hurricane-force winds, and experts warn the problem is not unique to California.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Friday urged insurers to end non-renewals and pending cancellations that homeowners received before the fires broke out and to extend grace periods for payments.
President Joe Biden declared the fires a major disaster and said the US government would reimburse 100 percent of recovery costs over the next six months.
