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New wildfires in Los Angeles have prompted evacuation orders in the upscale Brentwood and Bel Air neighborhoods as the region braces for strong winds that could create more problems for emergency services battling multiple blazes across the county.
The death toll from the fires rose to 11 as the crisis entered its fifth day. The Palisades Fire, which broke out Tuesday morning, has burned 22,000 acres and is still only 11 percent contained, officials said.
The fires are believed to have caused the most damage in LA’s history.
On Saturday, helicopters dropped water over Mandeville Canyon, an exclusive area where actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger lives.
The evacuation orders in Brentwood raised concerns about landmarks including the Getty Center, home to an art collection that includes works by Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Monet.
Karen Bass, the mayor of LA, said the Palisades fires were “slowly contained,” with about 11 percent contained. But she warned that the area is “most vulnerable” to dry, strong Santa Ana winds expected to return Saturday afternoon. She urged residents not to try to “wait for the fire to die down” and to evacuate immediately.
The National Weather Service warned that the latest wave of storm-force winds will also hit the Topanga and Malibu coastal canyons. It also predicts further “winds” between Monday night and Wednesday that could reach 60 to 70 mph.
Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are trying to deflect criticism of their response to the fire. Firefighters in Pacific Palisades were frustrated this week when they found hydrants running out of water — a major problem during periods of high winds that grounded helicopters and planes that were using water to drop water on the flames. The city’s reserve tanks were quickly depleted as firefighters on the ground battled the blaze without aerial support.
Newsom said Friday that he had ordered an investigation into the causes of the water supply problem. Newsom called the problems “deeply troubling,” adding that they “likely undermined efforts to protect some homes and evacuation corridors.”
The city’s water authority issued a statement saying any claims that fire hydrants were broken before the fire were “misleading and false.”
The water pressure dropped due to the “unprecedented and extreme need for water to fight the fire without aerial support,” the LA Department of Water and Power said in a statement.
Firefighters from other US states and Mexico came to LA to help more than 7,500 emergency workers from California. The National Guard was also deployed to the Palisades to protect the area from looters.
The city imposed a 12-hour curfew starting at 6 p.m. in areas that were ordered to be evacuated. “Not only do we have to protect ourselves from the fire, we also have to make sure nobody goes up there and tries to loot,” Bass said. About 20 robbers have been arrested so far.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said it will take the lead in investigating the cause of the Pacific Palisades fire. The federal agency said firefighters were on the scene investigating.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the Sunset fire, which threatened the Hollywood Hills and many landmarks, including the Hollywood sign. They also extinguished the Lidia fire north of Los Angeles, while the other two are about 80 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.
