Hundreds of firefighters are joining the fight against the severe weather from the ground and from the air. After days of out-of-control fires, the Palisades Fire on the city’s west end is 8% contained, and the Eaton Fire east of Los Angeles is 3% contained.
10,000 buildings were damaged
Seven neighboring states, the federal government, and Canada rushed to help California. They reinforced air teams dropping water and ground crews attacking firing lines. Further funding for the operation was also provided.
Reuters quoted Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Malone as saying, “Thanks to the increased resources that have been allocated, this region is in a much better place than it was earlier this week.”
See: Paul evacuated from Los Angeles. “This is unbelievable.”
According to estimates, six simultaneous wildfires have devastated parts of Los Angeles County since Tuesday. At least 11 people died. 10,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed.
That number is expected to rise further as firefighters are able to safely search homes. As the smoke thickened, authorities declared a public health emergency.
Billion dollar losses
Two large fires, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, have burned a combined 14,100 hectares. Approximately 153,000 people remain under evacuation orders, and an additional 166,800 have been advised to evacuate. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said a curfew was in effect for all evacuation zones.
The National Weather Service predicts conditions in the Los Angeles area will improve over the weekend. Steady winds will decrease to about 32 km/h, with gusts reaching 50-80 km/h. This means a suspension from conditions with wind gusts exceeding 130km/h.
See: Massive fire in Los Angeles visible from space. Published photos
But forecasters warn of another so-called red flag. This indicates a very high fire risk and indicates extreme conditions such as high temperatures, high winds, and low humidity that favor the spread of a fire.
Private forecasting company AccuWeather estimates damage and economic losses at $135 billion to $150 billion. He predicted there would be problems with rebuilding and homeowners’ insurance premiums would skyrocket.
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