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WATCH | An air attack has been launched to contain fires in Los Angeles amid mounting destruction

Posted on by Gerres
WATCH | An air attack has been launched to contain fires in Los Angeles amid mounting destruction

Firefighters stepped up efforts to combat the Palisades fire in Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 11, using planes to drop water and fire retardants onto steep hills to prevent it from spreading east. Crews on the ground had to contend with deteriorating conditions, with wind gusts of up to 110 km/h expected to escalate the crisis.

The Palisades Fire has expanded by another 1,000 acres (400 hectares) over the past day, consuming additional homes, according to Reuters. Since Tuesday, six simultaneous fires in Los Angeles County have killed at least 16 people, destroyed or damaged 12,000 buildings and left 13 people without help, according to numerous media reports.

Photo: Reuters

Deteriorating conditions and containment efforts

As of Saturday, the Palisades Fire has consumed more than 22,000 acres, with 11% containment of the flames, according to Cal Fire official Todd Hopkins. The fire has reached the Mandeville Canyon area and is threatening Brentwood and the San Fernando Valley, raising concerns about its potential to cross the critical north-south Highway 405.

“We remain in critical fire season through Wednesday,” National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld said, noting the return of fierce winds in Santa Ana early next week, Reuters reported. Evacuation orders currently apply to 153,000 residents and 57,000 properties are at risk. An additional 166,000 residents are on alert for potential evacuations, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

Federal support and recovery efforts

President Joe Biden declared the fires a major disaster, triggering federal aid through FEMA for affected residents. The aid ranges from financing home repairs to replacing essential items such as food and medicine, said FEMA spokesman Michael Hart.

Law enforcement deployed 40 search and rescue teams, including cadaver dogs, to locate victims and reunite families. Sheriff Luna urged residents to obey the curfew amid a spike in arrests for looting and firearms violations. “If you go there and break curfew, you’ll spend time in jail,” Luna warned.

Southern California Edison reported significant progress in restoring power, with power outages dropping to 50,000 customers, down from more than half a million. Edison CEO Steven Powell stated that while the investigation into the cause of the Hurst fire is ongoing, no evidence links the flame to Edison equipment.

READ ALSO: The Los Angeles fire is moving northeast, threatening Bel Air in Brentwood

Economic costs and challenges for the future

The fires led to estimated losses of $135 billion to $150 billion, according to private forecaster AccuWeather. In addition to destroying homes, the fires exposed millions of people to toxic smoke containing traces of metals and synthetic materials. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara urged insurers to suspend non-renewals and extend payment grace periods for affected homeowners.

As resources pour into California from neighboring states, Canada and Mexico, firefighters are racing to contain the largest cluster of wildfires in Los Angeles history.

With inputs from Reuters