SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
By Nathan Frandino and Jackie Luna
Los Angeles: Firefighters are slowly making progress in their battle to contain the Pacific Palisades inferno, but spreading flames and strong winds still threatened communities in the populous San Fernando Valley.
Aircraft have dropped water and fire retardant on steep hills to stem the eastward spread of the Palisades Fire and while ground crews have managed to save a number of houses, others have been lost.
“LA County had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said on Sunday (Monday AEDT).
Six simultaneous blazes that have ripped across the second-largest US city since Tuesday have killed at least 16 people. The police chief said a further 16 were missing.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said he expected the death toll to increase.
“I’ve got search and rescue teams out. We’ve got cadaver dogs out and there’s likely to be a lot more,” he told NBC’s Meet the Press program.
Newsom said the fires were likely to be the worst natural disaster in US history “in terms of just the costs associated with it”.
He signed an executive order to reduce the amount of state government red tape needed to rebuild lost homes and businesses.
President-elect Donald Trump criticised local and state officials he believed had handled the situation badly.
A fire fighting helicopter drops water as the Palisades fire grows near the Mandeville Canyon neighbourhood and Encino.Credit: AFP
“The fires are still raging in LA. The incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out. Thousands of magnificent houses are gone, and many more will soon be lost. There is death all over the place… they just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?” he wrote on his Truth Social.
Los Angeles Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger told reporters she invited Trump – who takes office on January 20 – to visit the county to get a first-hand look at the destruction.
The blazes have damaged or destroyed 12,000 structures, fire officials said. The flames have reduced whole neighbourhoods to smouldering ruins, destroying the homes of the rich and famous and ordinary folk alike and leaving an apocalyptic landscape.
Over the weekend, the Palisades fire spread over an additional 400 hectares, consuming more homes, officials reported. It is only 11 per cent contained.
Cal Fire official Todd Hopkins told a press conference the fire had spread into the Mandeville Canyon and threatened to jump into Brentwood, an upscale neighbourhood that is home to many celebrities, and the San Fernando Valley. It also inched towards the north-south 405 freeway.
Fire crews monitor the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon on the weekend.Credit: AP
Although the Santa Ana winds that have fanned the flames had calmed some over the weekend, the National Weather Service warned that stronger gusts of up to 110km/h could return early this week. Local officials said they expected the strongest winds to occur on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT).
Red Flag warnings remain in effect for LA and Ventura counties through to Wednesday, the NWS said.
“These winds, combined with dry air and dry vegetation, will keep the fire weather threat in the area,” it said. Conditions were expected to moderate by Thursday.
A search and rescue team examines a property in the aftermath of the Eaton fire.Credit: Bloomberg
Some residents were allowed to return to the site of their ruined homes on Saturday to see what they could salvage.
Evacuation orders throughout the Los Angeles area now cover 153,000 residents. Another 166,000 have been warned that they may have to evacuate, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
President Joe Biden spoke by phone with officials to get an update on their efforts and was briefed by aides on federal resources that were being dispatched. His declaration of a major disaster unlocked federal assistance for those affected, clearing the way for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide support.
Support can range from funding for home repairs to money to replace lost food or medication, FEMA spokesperson Michael Hart said, adding that assistance could be provided within days.
Officials have declared a public health emergency due to the thick, toxic smoke and poor air quality, as the fires lofted traces of metals, plastics and other synthetic materials.
Firefighters from an Oregon strike team survey damage on Sunday at a Sunset Boulevard home levelled by the Palisades Fire.Credit: AP
Private forecaster AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic loss at about $US135 billion ($220 billion), portending soaring insurance costs for homeowners.
Reuters
