Los Angeles meteorologists expect fast, dry winds to return toward the end of the weekend, threatening to ignite wildfires that have already destroyed 10,000 structures and killed 16 people.
Urgent “red flag” alerts – meaning critical weather conditions related to fires – announced by the US National Weather Service (nuclear weapons) He said that moderate to strong winds will continue on Friday morning, with low humidity Five fires burned All over the capital.
Barbara Bruderlin, president of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce, described the impact of the fires as “total devastation and loss.”
“There are areas where everything has disappeared. Not even a stick of wood remains. It’s just dirt,” Bruderlein said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was severely criticized for her absence from the city during the first 24 hours of the crisis, when she was in Ghana, as part of an official delegation from the White House to attend the inauguration of the president of that country. She has been attacked by political rivals on the right, including Rick Caruso, who ran against Bass in the 2022 mayoral election, but she has also faced criticism from the left, which has accused the mayor of cutting the firefighting budget to pay for increased police.
“The continued defunding of other city programs in order to give the LAPD billions annually has consequences,” said Richie Sergeenko, an attorney and organizer with the People’s City Council of Los Angeles. said the objection. “The city is not prepared to handle this fire, and Los Angeles should not be in this position.”
in interview With Fox Los Angeles, Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley said a $17 million cut in funding for her department, and problems with the water supply to hydrants in Palisades, have undermined firefighters’ ability to respond to fires.
“My message is that the fire department needs to be properly funded,” Crowley said. “it’s not.” Fox LA correspondent Gigi Grassette then asked Crowley three times: “Has the city of Los Angeles let you down?” After the third time, Crowley simply replied: “Yes.”
One public official who chose not to criticize Bass during the crisis is Los Angeles City Comptroller Kenneth Mejia, whose office called attention to the firefighting budget cuts in October in A widely used chart It shows a massive increase in spending on the police department and cuts to other public services including the fire department.
Since Mayor Mejía’s critics have cited his work Active accountantwrote in Posted on social media: “As the city accountant, we budget, calculate your taxes, and know the ins and outs of the city’s finances. We’ll gladly detail any questions about how this all works. But for now, we must focus on ensuring we can get through these catastrophic fires.
Officials estimate that the Palisades Fire wiped out at least 5,000 buildings, including many homes in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, where mansions that lined yellow beaches were hollowed out and homes in neighborhood valleys were reduced to dust.
To the east near Altadena, streets were also littered with fallen tree branches while entire clusters of houses had disappeared. One resident said the destruction seemed almost random in some areas, with a house flattened to the ground while a neighboring house remained standing.
Among the dead were four men who were unable to leave or stayed to defend their homes in Altadena, a community near Pasadena home to working and middle-class families, including many black residents who have lived there for generations. Two of them are Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son Justin, who has cerebral palsy. Hajime White, Mitchell’s daughter, said they were waiting for an ambulance to arrive when the fire started. The Washington Post.
“He didn’t want to leave his son behind. Whatever it is,” White — who lives in Warren, Arkansas, and is Justin’s half-sister — said her father called her Wednesday morning and told her they had to evacuate from the approaching fire. “Then he said: ‘I have to go – the fire is in the yard.’”
In another incident, Shari Shaw told local media KTLA She tried to convince her 66-year-old brother, Victor Shaw, to evacuate but he wanted to stay and fight the fire. His body was found with a garden hose in his hand.
Rodney Nickerson died in his bed at his home in Altadena. His daughter, Kimiko Nickerson, told KTLA that the 82-year-old had experienced numerous fires and felt he would be fine waiting for her at home.
Briana Navarro, who lived in Altadena with her grandmother, Erlene Kelly, He told NBC News That Kelly died there after deciding not to vacate the house where she had lived for more than 40 years with the rest of the family. “We made the decision to evacuate Tuesday night, but my grandmother decided she wanted to stay,” Navarro wrote. Posted on GoFundMe. “After we left, she asked my father to go over to the house to check on her…and again she said she would stay at home. She said: The matter is in God’s hands.
CNN I mentioned Annette Rosselli, who was 85, died in the Palisades fire after refusing to leave her home and pets, according to Luxe Homecare, a company that provides home care for her three times a week.
Officials said they expected the death toll to rise.
The Meteorological Service said winds were likely to subside Friday afternoon, but warned that “a period of high to potentially critical weather conditions is expected to continue from Sunday to Wednesday.”
The New York Times reported that the cause of the fires has not yet been determined I mentioned Power lines near the Eaton and Palisades fires had not been turned off before those fires broke out, “which energy experts said was troubling because electrical equipment often sparked infernos during periods of high winds in California and elsewhere.”
Officials said Friday afternoon they had had some success battling the Kenneth Fire, which broke out Thursday and It has grown to 1000 acres. About 400 firefighters remained on the scene throughout the night to protect against the spread of the fire, and it was approximately 50% contained by Friday.
Firefighting efforts in such difficult conditions, with virtually no rain for months and no forecast in the coming days, have stretched crews and left the country’s second-largest city reeling.
The largest fire burning in the Los Angeles area, the Palisades Fire, devastated scenic hilltop neighborhoods. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection website, This fire It has burned more than 21,300 acres and is only 8% “contained.”
Containment, according to Western Fire Chiefs AssociationRefers to a “control line” around a portion of a fire that flames should not be able to cross. So, if a wildfire is described as 25% contained, firefighters have established control lines — typically wide trenches — about 25% of the fire’s perimeter. Once the fire is 100% contained, firefighters can begin extinguishing it.
To the east, the Eaton Fire near Pasadena has burned more than 5,000 structures — a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles — across nearly 14,000 acres, and is only 3% contained.
The Hearst Fire in the hills above Sylmar, which has been threatening the San Fernando Valley, was about 37% contained Friday morning and firefighters I mentioned They “successfully contained the fire north of the I-210 Foothill Expressway and established control lines.”
The Los Angeles Fire Department lifted the evacuation order in Granada Hills, northwest of downtown Los Angeles, on Friday afternoon, after firefighters “cooperated with an aggressive attack by LAFD air operations” to extinguish the Archer Fire that broke out Friday morning. , under control before any structures are damaged.
Human-caused climate collapse is increasing extreme weather conditions around the world, including wildfires. In California, the fire season starts earlier and ends later.
More than 150,000 people remained under evacuation orders, and the fires consumed about 57 square miles, an area larger than the city of San Francisco.
At least 20 people were arrested for looting. Officials imposed a mandatory curfew in evacuation zones as well as in the city of Santa Monica, which neighbors Pacific Palisades.
The Associated Press contributed Preparing reports