The death toll from wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area rose to 16 as crews struggled to cut off spreading flames before potentially strong winds returned that could push the flames toward some of the city's most famous landmarks.
Fire danger in the area will be “very high” this week due to winds and drought in Santa Ana, Los Angeles Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a Sunday briefing, adding that “elevated, critical fire weather conditions will continue.” until Wednesday.”
Five of the deaths were attributed to the Palisades fire and 11 were from the Eaton fire, the Los Angeles County coroner's office said in a statement Saturday evening.
The total number of previously confirmed deaths before Saturday was 11, but officials say they expect the number to rise as teams with cadaver dogs conduct systematic net searches of razed neighborhoods. The authorities have set up a center where people can report a missing person.
Joseph Everett, deputy chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department's western office, said it was difficult to see such destruction in an area where he, his father and grandfather worked as firefighters.
“This really resonates with me,” he said during Saturday's community meeting. “Please be patient, we are up there… we are still aggressively fighting the fires.”
There were concerns that winds could carry the fires toward the J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles, and new evacuation warnings angered more homeowners.
Hundreds of pets were displaced by the Eaton Fire that hit Pasadena, California, and many residents had to shelter their pets at the Pasadena Humane Society. Kevin McManus, who works with Pasadena Humane, says they have the capacity in intensive care units to care for animals that have been burned or injured, and they also have the support of veterinary hospitals.
On Saturday evening, Cal Fire reported that the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hurst fires had consumed approximately 160 square kilometers, an area larger than San Francisco. The Palisades and Eaton fires have burned nearly 153 square kilometers.
In a briefing posted online Saturday evening, Michael Traum of the California Office of Emergency Services said 150,000 people in Los Angeles County had been ordered to evacuate and more than 700 people were sheltering in nine shelters.
A series of photos from Google and Reuters show some of the destruction in Los Angeles, where raging fires have destroyed at least 10,000 buildings. (Image source: Google/Reuters)
Crews from California and nine other states are participating in the ongoing response, which includes 1,354 fire trucks, 84 planes and more than 14,000 personnel, including newly arrived firefighters from Mexico, he said.
On Saturday, Alberta confirmed it would send 40 firefighters to help fight wildfires in California early this week.
On Thursday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his province would send two water bombers, along with 165 municipal firefighters and equipment, to help in the fight. Two water bombers from Quebec have been battling the fires since Tuesday.
“Our American friends have asked for help fighting the fires in California, and Team Canada is responding,” Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan said on social media.
With Cal Fire reporting that the Palisades Fire was 11 percent contained on Sunday, the same as the day before, and the Eaton Fire was 27 percent contained, up from 15 percent on Saturday, the fight will be continued.
Limited rainfall for over 8 months
A fierce battle took place Saturday in Mandeville Canyon, home of Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities near the Pacific coast, where tumbling helicopters dropped water as the fire raced down.
Firefighters on the ground used hoses to try to douse jumping flames as thick smoke blanketed the chaparral-covered hillside.
Strong winds in Santa Ana are largely blamed for turning the fires into an inferno that has leveled entire neighborhoods as far as the city, which has not received any significant rainfall in more than eight months.
More than 200 American Red Cross employees are helping residents of Southern California, according to a Friday press release. Nicole Maul, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, says they have shelters for evacuees that are still operating after new evacuation orders were issued Saturday. Maul says “disasters do not discriminate,” referring to evacuees from all walks of life. Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/1.7429025
The fire also threatened to jump Interstate 405 and spread to densely populated areas of the Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Valley.
Historical cost
The fires that started north of downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday have burned more than 12,000 buildings.
Firefighters made their first progress Friday afternoon on the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena, which has burned more than 7,000 structures and includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. Authorities said most evacuation orders from the area have been lifted.
The cause of the largest fires has not been determined, and preliminary estimates indicate that they may be the most costly in the country's history. According to AccuWeather's preliminary estimates, damage and economic losses so far range from $135 to $150 billion.
In an interview aired Sunday on NBC, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the wildfires could be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.
“I think it's just going to be about the costs involved, the scale and the scope,” he said.
Volunteers overwhelmed donation centers, and some had to be driven to places like the Santa Anita Park racetrack, where people who had lost their homes were sifting through piles of donated T-shirts, blankets and other household items.
Canadian media personality George Stroumboulopoulos tells The National about opening his Los Angeles home to friends forced to leave the city by the fires, and how the city is coming together to support each other in times of crisis.
Altadena resident Jose Luis Godinez said three homes where about a dozen of his family members lived were destroyed.
“Everything is gone,” he said in Spanish. “My whole family lived in these three houses and now we have nothing.”
Officials warn against returning
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna warned residents not to return to damaged homes to search through the rubble for souvenirs.
“A lot of people drive around and try to go inside to look. Stay away,” Luna said, urging people to respect the curfew.
On Saturday, officials warned that the ash could contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other harmful materials.
“If you ignite this stuff, you're inhaling it,” said Chris Thomas, spokesman for the Palisades Fire Unified Incident Command, who warned the material was “toxic.”
Thomas said residents will be allowed to return with protective equipment after damage crews assess them.
Nearly 1,000 firefighters imprisoned in California are currently battling wildfires in the state, according to reports. Some have criticized the practice because of low pay for firefighters, but Royal Ramey, a former prisoner and co-founder of the Forestry and Fire Service Recruitment Program, says the program helps create career opportunities for prisoners after release.