Forecasters in California are warning that the fierce winds that have fueled an inferno around Los Angeles are expected to pick up again this week, as firefighters on the ground scramble to make progress on three wildfires.
Officials warned that after a weekend of relatively calm winds, Santa Ana’s notoriously dry winds will pick up again Sunday night into Wednesday, reaching speeds of up to 96 km/h.
Ahead of increased winds, some progress has been made in stopping the spread of the Palisade and deadly Eaton fires, which are burning on opposite ends of town. Local firefighters are assisted by crews from eight other states, as well as Canada and Mexico, which continue to arrive.
At a press conference on Sunday, officials said 16 people were confirmed dead and another 16 were missing.
They also warned that the death toll was expected to rise as urban search and rescue teams cleared the rubble using cadaver dogs.
Three wildfires continue to burn around Los Angeles.
The largest fire is the Palisades, which has now burned 23,000 acres and is 11% contained.
The Eaton fire is the second largest and has burned 14,000 acres. Contains 27%.
The Hurst Fire has grown to 799 hectares and is almost completely contained.
Although crews were able to contain the largest fires, authorities warned that incoming winds could lead to “potentially catastrophic wind conditions,” leaving all of LA County exposed to fire.
“Unfortunately, we’re moving back into red flag conditions with potentially catastrophic winds between now and Wednesday, with the highest winds expected to be on Tuesday,” Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin told the BBC.
“Although we are making some progress, the end is not even close yet,” he said.
LA City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley urged residents near evacuation zones to be prepared to flee if the order is issued and to stay off the roads as much as possible so as not to disturb crews.
Topanga Canyon resident Alice Husum, 67, told the BBC that the new fire that broke out in the area overnight was quickly contained, but that she and her neighbors were “apprehensive from Tuesday” when wind speeds were likely to be at their highest.
But Ms. Husum, who stayed behind despite evacuation orders, notes that the forecast is “a little better than the 100-mile wind gusts that were weighing on us” earlier this week.
New fires continued to rage Sunday, threatening communities in the San Fernando Valley and near NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Firefighters on Sunday were able to quickly contain the spread of new fires in the Angeles National Forest, which surround a facility that is at the heart of the US space program and contains top-secret technology.
At least 29 people were arrested for looting in mandatory evacuation zones. Two people were caught posing as firefighters to steal from evacuees.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Sunday that he has requested more National Guard troops to augment the 400 troops already in the area. California Governor Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, announced that an additional 1,000 National Guard members would be deployed.
“When I was out there in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman that looked like a firefighter. I asked him if he was OK because he was sitting down. I didn’t know we had him in handcuffs,” Sheriff Luna told the reporter.
“We’re turning him over to the LAPD because he was dressed like a firefighter and he wasn’t. He just got caught in a home burglary. So those are the issues that our frontline deputies and officers are dealing with.”
There are currently 14,000 firefighters in the Southern California region, assisted by 84 aircraft and 1,354 fire trucks, Sheriff Luna said.
The number of evacuees has declined, with about 105,000 residents still under a mandatory evacuation order and 87,000 under an evacuation warning.
Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told CNN on Sunday that there remains a significant threat.
“I know so many people probably want to get back to the area and check on their homes, but with the winds picking up, you never know which way they’re going to go,” she said.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said limited access was allowed to evacuated residents over the weekend, but that his officers were once again barring all residents from returning.
Officials have repeatedly issued orders to drone operators not to fly near fire zones and are now appealing for information after a drone crashed on a vital plane.
The FBI shared photos of a small drone that collided with a plane known as the “Super Scooper,” one of the world’s most powerful firefighting aircraft, on Thursday, briefly grounding it.
The drone punched a 3-by-6-inch (8-by-15 cm) hole in the plane.
Officials also warned of scammers looking to take advantage of victims and issued a stark warning that anyone caught in the act of price gouging would be prosecuted.
Meanwhile, the feud between California Governor Newsom and President-elect Donald Trump continues.
Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20 and was invited by the governor to tour the fire damage, on Saturday blamed “incompetent” politicians for “one of the worst disasters in the history of our country.”
Newsom, who is a Democrat, in turn attacked Trump for sharing misinformation about the fires.
In an interview Sunday with NBC, Newsom called Trump’s false claims “inexcusable.”
With additional reporting by Regan Morris
