A pause in the fierce winds that supercharged the ring of wildfires that devastated Los Angeles this week helped crews make progress in bringing the infernos under control on Friday but strong gusts could return over the weekend, forecasters said.
The fires, which have devastated Los Angeles neighbourhoods on the east and west sides of the city, have killed at least 10 people and destroyed nearly 10,000 structures, with those figures expected to grow.
“It looks like an atomic bomb dropped in these areas. I don’t expect good news, and we’re not looking forward to those numbers,” Los Angeles county sheriff Robert Luna said at a press conference late on Thursday, referring to Pacific Palisades in the west and Altadena in the east.
Wind conditions in the Los Angeles area were set to improve Friday through the weekend to about 30km/h, with gusts between 55km/h and 80km/h, according to the US National Weather Service, a significant change from days ago when wind gusts blasted at upwards of 130km/h.
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“It’s not as gusty so that should help firefighters, hopefully,” NWS meteorologist Allison Santorelli said, adding that conditions were still critical with low humidity and dry vegetation.
Even as red flag wind conditions were expected until Friday afternoon, any periods of easing would allow crucial support from the air for firefighters on the ground for aircraft can dropping water and fire retardant on the flaming hills. “There’s a bit of good news, if there can be,” Ms Santorelli said.
Farther south in San Diego, winds were due to pick up, with sustained winds of 65km/h and gusts up to 110km/h, creating dangerous fire conditions there over the weekend, she added.
As of early Friday, three big fires were still burning in Los Angeles.
The Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history, consuming more than 13,750 hectares (34,000 acres) – some 140 sq km or 2½ times the land area of Manhattan – and turning entire neighbourhoods to ash.
The Palisades Firewas 6 per cent controlled, while the Eaton Fire still blazed out of control, according to California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Some Pacific Palisades residents ventured back to areas where the fire had already swept through. Brick chimneys loomed over charred waste and burnt-out vehicles.
“I can’t describe it,” psychiatrist Kelly Foster (44) said as she combed through the ashy rubble where her home once stood with her children while smoke rose from neighbouring homes and planes dropped water nearby. “I have no words.”
One rapidly growing blaze that broke out on Thursday near Calabasas, a wealthy enclave home to numerous celebrities and gated communities, was 35 per cent under control by early Friday, fire officials said. The so-called Kenneth Fire had expanded to 390 hectares (960 acres) in a matter of hours.
US media outlets said the Los Angeles Police Department was investigating the Kenneth Fire as a possible case of arson and had taken a suspect into custody. An LAPD spokeswoman confirmed that an arson suspect was being held but would not comment on which fire was involved.
Smaller fires were also putting pressure on overstretched firefighting resources. The Hurst Fire was 37 per cent contained, while the Lidia Fire was 75 per cent contained. Firefighting crews managed to bring the Sunset Fire in the atop the Hollywood Hills fully under control on Thursday, after flames had engulfed a ridge overlooking Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame on Wednesday night.
Officials said the Eaton Fire had damaged or destroyed 4,000 to 5,000 structures while the Palisades Fire destroyed or damaged another 5,300 structures, including many homes of movie stars and celebrities.
In Altadena, a racially and economically diverse community near Pasadena, many residents said they were concerned government resources would be channelled toward wealthier areas and insurance companies might short-change less affluent households who lacked the means to contest fire claims.
Officials said they were establishing curfews for areas affected by mandatory evacuation orders to prevent looting and had requested California National Guard support to help local law enforcement with traffic control and infrastructure protection.
About 20 people had been arrested for looting so far, according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department.
The catastrophic losses are already weighing on insurers, which are bracing for billions of dollars in potential claims. – Reuters
