Firefighters battle to contain wildfires in Los Angeles before strong winds return | Climate crisis news

Firefighters continue to fight with raging forest fires that have killed 16 people in the Los Angeles, California area, as forecasters again warn of dangerous weather with the return of high winds this week.

Although the Santa Ana winds that fueled the fire subsided over the weekend, the US National Weather Service (NWS) warned that stronger gusts of up to 110 km/h (70 mph) could return early next week.

Local officials said they were expecting the strongest winds on Tuesday. Red flag warnings remain in effect for Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Wednesday, the NWS said.

Conditions are expected to ease by Thursday.

On Sunday, planes dropped water and fire retardant on steep hillsides to stop the eastward spread of the fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, and KTLA television reported that ground crews were able to save a number of homes, although others were lost.

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

Six simultaneous fires have engulfed America’s second-largest city since Tuesday, killing at least 16 people.

Five deaths were attributed to the Palisades fire and 11 were the result of the Eaton fire, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said in a statement Saturday night.

Twelve people are missing in the Eaton fire area and four in the Palisades fire, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Sunday morning.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said he expects the death toll to rise.

“I have search and rescue teams. We have recovered dog carcasses and there will probably be a lot more,” he told NBC News.

Newsom said the fires are likely to be the worst natural disaster in US history in terms of “scale and scope” as well as associated costs.

Active-duty military personnel are ready to support firefighting efforts, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a series of television interviews Sunday, adding that the agency urged residents to begin applying for disaster assistance.

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

The fires damaged or destroyed 12,000 structures, firefighters said, while flames reduced entire neighborhoods to smoldering ruins and left apocalyptic landscapes.

Officials reported Saturday night that the Palisades Fire had spread an additional 1,000 acres (400 hectares) in the past 24 hours, engulfing multiple homes,

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

Hopkins told reporters that the fire has spread into Mandeville Canyon and is threatening to jump into Brentwood, an upscale neighborhood, and the San Fernando Valley. It also moved slightly toward the 405 freeway in a north-south direction.

Al Jazeera reporter Phil Lavelle, reporting from a helicopter over Los Angeles, said the scale of the devastation was immense.

“What you get from here is a sense of how much danger is still ahead, because these flames from the Palisades fire are moving toward densely populated areas, and their direction can change in a second,” he said.

“One minute, they’re heading for places like Brentwood. Others head toward the densely populated San Fernando Valley, home to millions of people.”

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

Trump criticizes local officials

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone with officials to get an update on their efforts, and aides briefed him on federal resources being sent.

His major disaster declaration unlocked federal aid for those affected by the wildfires, clearing the way for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide support.

Assistance can range from funding for home repairs to money to replace lost food or medicine, FEMA spokesman Michael Hart said, adding that assistance can be provided within days.

Newsom also signed an executive order to reduce state government red tape needed to rebuild lost homes and businesses.

However, US President-elect Donald Trump has criticized local and state officials who he believes have mishandled the situation.

“The fires are still raging in LA. Incompetent [politicians] they have no idea how to turn them off. Thousands of magnificent houses have disappeared, and many will soon be lost. Death is everywhere… they just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?” he said on his Truth social media feed.

Los Angeles Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Kathryn Barger told reporters she had invited Trump — who takes office Jan. 20 — to visit the district to see the devastation firsthand.