From January 7, multiple wildfires have been rampaging through the Los Angeles area in California. As of Sunday night, the fires have already claimed at least 24 lives with many others still missing. Ground firefighters are intensifying their efforts to contain the wildfires, while also facing the potential danger of the fires being fueled by strong winds.
On Sunday, the Los Angeles County coroner updated the death toll to 24, with earlier reports indicating at least 16 people still missing. Among the casualties, 16 bodies were found in the Eaton fire area and 8 in the Palisades area.
New fires continue to break out, threatening communities in the San Fernando Valley and near the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of NASA. Firefighters swiftly managed to prevent the spread of a new fire in the Angeles National Forest, which surrounds key facilities of the US space program, including highly classified technology.
Sunday saw a decrease in the number of evacuees, with around 105,000 residents still under mandatory evacuation orders and 87,000 under evacuation warnings.
So far, at least 29 individuals have been arrested for looting in the mandatory evacuation zones. Two individuals were caught posing as firefighters stealing from evacuees.
Sheriff Robert Luna of Los Angeles County announced during a press conference on Sunday that he has requested an increase in the National Guard presence to bolster the existing 400 National Guard troops in the area. Governor Gavin Newsom of California subsequently declared the redeployment of an additional 1,000 National Guard members.
Local officials have warned that following a relatively calm weekend, the notorious dry Santa Ana winds will intensify from Sunday night to Wednesday, with wind speeds reaching up to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour).
Prior to the escalation of winds, progress has been made in containing the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires, situated at opposite ends of Los Angeles city. Firefighters from eight other states, as well as personnel from Canada and Mexico, continue to rush to the scene to assist local firefighters.
Sheriff Luna stated that there are currently 14,000 firefighters in Southern California, supported by 84 aircraft and 1,354 fire engines.
The largest wildfire near Los Angeles is the Palisades fire, having consumed over 23,000 acres of land with 11% containment. The Eaton fire ranks as the second largest, scorching more than 14,000 acres with 27% containment. The Hest fire has spread to 799 acres and is nearly fully contained.
Pasadena Fire Department Chief Chad Augustin told BBC, “Unfortunately, we are heading into another dangerous period from now until Wednesday, with potentially catastrophic wind conditions, with Tuesday expected to be the peak of the winds.”
“Although we have made some progress, the battle is far from over,” he added.
Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley urged residents near evacuation zones to be prepared to evacuate immediately when ordered and to stay clear of roads to avoid impeding firefighting operations.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone mentioned on Sunday that discussions on allowing evacuated residents to return home will commence on Thursday.
“I want to talk a bit about repopulation of the evacuation orders or the evacuation warning areas before we finish. That is going to be the number one priority of our unified command center. Not just for the Palisades fire, but also for the Eaton fire. Unfortunately, those conversations will have to wait until the end of the next anticipated red flag [warning], which is Wednesday,” Marrone stated.
He added that officials will start discussions on relocating residents starting from Thursday.
Deanne Criswell, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), informed CNN on Sunday that significant threats still persist.
“I know many may want to go back to their homes and check on their properties, but as the winds strengthen again, you never know how the fires will move,” she cautioned.