The death toll from wildfires around Los Angeles rose to 16 as thousand of firefighters fought to contain the four wildfires raging across the city Saturday before winds forecast to fan additional flames.
In the Pacific Palisades, firefighters dug wide trenches across the charred landscape in an attempt to contain the blaze, which has been called the most destructive in the city’s history.
Across the city, in Altadena, first responders dragged hoses over burnt-out cars and rebar. In Mandeville Canyon, where the Palisades fire grew closer to the UCLA campus – prompting evacuation orders across the Brentwood and Encino neighbourhoods – firefighting planes dropped water and retardant in an attempt to halt the fire’s path.
As containment levels on the two largest fires grew, city and county officials began the difficult work of identifying victims. At least 16 fatalities were confirmed in the Palisades and Eaton fires Saturday, according to the Los Angeles county medical examiner.
Relatives have begun coming forward to identify the victims, which include several older residents of Altadena who refused to leave their long-time homes, and multiple people with disabilities or receiving home healthcare, who could not be moved.
The Los Angeles county sheriff, Robert Luna, said the death toll is expected to rise as authorities deploy search dogs to devastated areas. The sheriff also said 13 people are reported missing.
The fires, which have consumed an area about two and a half times the size of Manhattan, have displaced 200,000 people and destroyed more than 12,000 homes and structures, including entire residential neighbourhoods. They have also prompted a political brawl – in both Los Angeles and nationally.
According to the California department of forestry and fire protection, the Palisades fire is 11 per cent contained, and the Eaton fire, affecting Altadena and Pasadena, is 15 per cent contained. Smaller wildfires – such as the Kenneth and Hurst fires, some of which may have been set deliberately – are more in the control of firefighters.
The Santa Ana winds that drove the wildfire destruction earlier in the week are forecast to come and go over the next several days. Strong gusts are forecast for Monday night and into Tuesday, but they are not expected to attain the 160km/h (100m/h) strength that drove the firestorms earlier.
On Saturday, Los Angeles county officials said they had made 22 arrests – 19 people in the Eaton fire and three in the Palisades fire. At least some of those charges were for burglary and looting.
Hours earlier, the sheriff’s office had issued a 6pm to 6am curfew in all mandatory evacuation areas affected by the Palisades and Eaton wildfires, in part to protect the property of homeowners who had obeyed orders to evacuate from being looted.
On Friday, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, ordered an inquiry into LA county’s water management after reports emerged that a critical reservoir was offline when the fires started, leaving some emergency hydrants with low water pressure before running dry. The LA fire chief, Kristin Crowley, has been vocal about how the water supply issues – and budget cuts – “failed” her firefighters.
A spokesperson for the water and power department confirmed the Santa Ynez reservoir, which helps supply water in the Pacific Palisades, had been offline for scheduled maintenance when the fire ignited.
On Saturday, the LA department of public works issued its own statement “correcting misinformation” about the water system.
“Water pressure in the system was lost due to unprecedented and extreme water demand to fight the wildfire without aerial support,” it said. The department “was required to take the Santa Ynez Reservoir out of service to meet safe drinking water regulations”, it added.
The water supply debacle has prompted national debate, with president-elect Donald Trump chiming in.
Earlier, US officials declared a public health emergency due to the air-quality effects of the California fires.
The LA public health department said it had declared a local health emergency and issued a public health order in response “to the widespread impacts of the ongoing multiple critical fire events and windstorm conditions”. The order applies to all areas of Los Angeles county. – Guardian
