Los Angeles firefighters braced on Tuesday for intense winds that could fuel two monstrous wildfires that have already killed two dozen people, leveled entire neighbourhoods and scorched an area the size of Washington.
Hurricane force winds of 120 kmph were possible from early on Tuesday, with 80-112 kmph gusts expected till Wednesday, said David Roth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.
A red flag warning was in effect late on Monday as dry, dangerous Santa Ana winds picked up speed.
More than 8,500 firefighters attacked the fires from the air and on the ground, preventing conflagrations at either end of Los Angeles from spreading overnight. “This set-up is about as bad as it gets,” Los Angeles city fire chief Kristin Crowley told local residents. “We are not in the clear.” State authorities were pre-positioning firefighting crews in Los Angeles and other Southern California counties that were under elevated fire danger, officials said. Highlighting the risks, a small but fast-moving new fire erupted in scrubland in the bed of the Santa Clara river in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles. Ground crew and several helicopters were working to contain the so-called Auto Fire, which had razed over 56 acres and was burning near a golf course but not yet threatening homes.
The two biggest wildfires, the Palisades and Eaton, erupted last week, fuelled by intense winds. At least 24 people have died in the blazes since then, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
The wildfires have destroyed or damaged more than 12,000 structures.
As of Monday, more than 92,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders — down from more than 150,000 — while a further 89,000 faced evacuation warnings. The Palisades fire, which wiped out upscale communities on the western flank of Los Angeles, burnt 96 square km and was 14 per cent contained.
The Eaton Fire in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains east of the city consumed another 57 sq km and was 33 per cent contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported.
A third fire, the Hurst, spanning 3.2 sq km was 95 per cent contained, while three other fires in the county have been fully brought under control in recent days.
The Eaton fire damaged the Altadena home of Lorraine Bryan, 63, and destroyed two other dwellings on her property. She said she was worried about getting refills of insulin that she needs to manage diabetes. “I’m worried about insurance and about rebuilding and getting back on my feet,” Bryan said on Monday.