Southern California braced for ‘extremely critical fire conditions’ as life threatening winds pick up pace
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Los Angeles wildfires. Multiple fires continue to rage in southern California nearly a week after the deadly and destructive blazes began.
Southern California is braced for “extremely critical fire conditions” as strong Santa Ana winds are forecast and are expected to cause new wildfires and set back recent progress to tackle the blazes.
The area faces a critical fire warning through Wednesday with warning from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection saying there is “significant risk of rapid fire spread due to life-threatening winds and dangerously low humidity”.
A growing force of firefighters and equipment has been positioned in Los Angeles ready to tackle any flare ups, with water trucks in place to replenish supplies.
President Joe Biden has called on Congress to ‘step up’ funding for those affected. Holding a briefing with federal officials at the White House on Monday, Biden said the federal government is covering most costs associated with the fires for the next 180 days, but that Congress will need to cover additional costs to rebuild Los Angeles.
Here is the latest on the evolving situation.
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Three wildfires are currently burning in Los Angeles county. They are:
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The Palisades fire, at 23,713 acres and 14% containment.
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The Eaton fire, at 14,117 acres and 33% containment.
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The Hurst fire, at 799 acres and 97% containment.
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At least 24 people have died, and relatives have begun identifying their loved ones as they return to their homes or are notified by local officials. The fires have destroyed more than 12,000 structures and may be the costliest disaster in US history, according to initial estimates of damage and economic losses exceeding $250bn from AccuWeather.
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With fire weather expected to continue in the Los Angeles area through Wednesday, state and city officials have pre-deployed firefighters across LA and surrounding counties.
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House speaker Mike Johnson said he believes there should be conditions on disaster aid to California, citing “state and local leaders [who] were derelict in their duties”.
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Donald Trump is in talks to visit Los Angeles to survey the damage wrought by wildfires over the past week, CNN reported. The visit could occur as early as next week, but no details have been finalized.
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Altadena residents have filed three lawsuits against Southern California Edison, alleging that the utility is responsible for the Eaton fire. The lawsuits cite evidence that the fire began under a transmission tower and reference the utility’s role in other wildfires. However, no official cause for the fire has yet been determined.
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California governor Gavin Newsom has called on the state’s legislature to approve $2.5bn in additional funding to aid “response and initial recovery efforts for Los Angeles”. To do so, the governor expanded the special legislative session he’d called for the state in November, designed to prepare for Donald Trump’s inauguration.
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The firefighting plane that was grounded after sustaining damage from a drone has been repaired and will return to firefighting duty Tuesday, pending FAA approval, said LA county fire chief Anthony Marrone.
Key events
The death toll from the fires stands at 24 however that figure is expected to rise, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Monday. At least two dozen people remain missing, he said.
In a report from the Associated Press, Luna said he understands that people are eager to return to their homes and neighborhoods to survey the damage, but he asked for their patience. “We have people literally looking for the remains of your neighbors,” he said.
At a Monday evening community meeting about the Palisades Fire, a Los Angeles Police Department official said many people reported as missing had been found. It wasn’t clear if there was overlap in the numbers shared by the sheriff.
Warning of ‘particularly dangerous’ weather on Tuesday as winds pick up
The US National Weather Service has warned the weather will be “particularly dangerous” on Tuesday, when wind gusts could reach 65 mph (105 kph). A large part of Southern California around Los Angeles is under this extreme fire danger warning through Wednesday, including densely populated Thousand Oaks, Northridge and Simi Valley.
The winds are predicted to pick up starting early Tuesday and continue through midday Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. They are not expected to reach hurricane-force like last week, but they could ground firefighting aircraft, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said, warning if winds reach 70 mph (112 kph), “it’s going to be very difficult to contain that fire.”
Firefighters ‘better prepared’ to face threat of fierce new winds, officials say
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other officials — who have faced criticism over their initial response to fires that began last week — are confident that the region is ready to face the new threat of fires sparked into life by stronger winds with additional firefighters brought in from around the US, as well as Canada and Mexico.
“We’re absolutely better prepared,” LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said when asked what will be different from a week ago, when hurricane-force winds propelled multiple fires across the parched, brush-filled region that hasn’t seen rain in more than eight months.
Additional water tankers and scores of firefighters have arrived at the Los Angeles area ahead of fierce winds that were forecast to return and threaten the progress made so far on two massive infernos that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people.
Southern California braced for ‘extremely critical fire conditions’ as life threatening winds pick up pace
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Los Angeles wildfires. Multiple fires continue to rage in southern California nearly a week after the deadly and destructive blazes began.
Southern California is braced for “extremely critical fire conditions” as strong Santa Ana winds are forecast and are expected to cause new wildfires and set back recent progress to tackle the blazes.
The area faces a critical fire warning through Wednesday with warning from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection saying there is “significant risk of rapid fire spread due to life-threatening winds and dangerously low humidity”.
A growing force of firefighters and equipment has been positioned in Los Angeles ready to tackle any flare ups, with water trucks in place to replenish supplies.
President Joe Biden has called on Congress to ‘step up’ funding for those affected. Holding a briefing with federal officials at the White House on Monday, Biden said the federal government is covering most costs associated with the fires for the next 180 days, but that Congress will need to cover additional costs to rebuild Los Angeles.
Here is the latest on the evolving situation.
-
Three wildfires are currently burning in Los Angeles county. They are:
-
The Palisades fire, at 23,713 acres and 14% containment.
-
The Eaton fire, at 14,117 acres and 33% containment.
-
The Hurst fire, at 799 acres and 97% containment.
-
-
At least 24 people have died, and relatives have begun identifying their loved ones as they return to their homes or are notified by local officials. The fires have destroyed more than 12,000 structures and may be the costliest disaster in US history, according to initial estimates of damage and economic losses exceeding $250bn from AccuWeather.
-
With fire weather expected to continue in the Los Angeles area through Wednesday, state and city officials have pre-deployed firefighters across LA and surrounding counties.
-
House speaker Mike Johnson said he believes there should be conditions on disaster aid to California, citing “state and local leaders [who] were derelict in their duties”.
-
Donald Trump is in talks to visit Los Angeles to survey the damage wrought by wildfires over the past week, CNN reported. The visit could occur as early as next week, but no details have been finalized.
-
Altadena residents have filed three lawsuits against Southern California Edison, alleging that the utility is responsible for the Eaton fire. The lawsuits cite evidence that the fire began under a transmission tower and reference the utility’s role in other wildfires. However, no official cause for the fire has yet been determined.
-
California governor Gavin Newsom has called on the state’s legislature to approve $2.5bn in additional funding to aid “response and initial recovery efforts for Los Angeles”. To do so, the governor expanded the special legislative session he’d called for the state in November, designed to prepare for Donald Trump’s inauguration.
-
The firefighting plane that was grounded after sustaining damage from a drone has been repaired and will return to firefighting duty Tuesday, pending FAA approval, said LA county fire chief Anthony Marrone.
