Los Angeles, Jan 13: As firefighters continue to battle devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area, winds are expected to intensify in the coming days, potentially further complicating rescue efforts.
According to the local officials, gusty winds and persistently dry weather are increasing extreme fire threats in the region.
Northeast wind gusts surpassed 50 miles (about 80 km) per hour on Sunday, and the strong Santa Ana winds are also forecast to pick up in the coming days.
These winds, combined with low humidity and extremely dry vegetation, will keep the fire threat in Los Angeles County at a “very high” level, said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.
Three active wildfires are still ravaging Los Angeles County, scorching nearly 40,300 acres (about 163 square km), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).
Death toll rises to 24
The death toll from the fires has risen to 24 as of Sunday, with eight resulting from the Palisades fire and 16 from the Eaton fire.
The two largest fires have been 11 per cent and 27 per cent contained, respectively, according to CAL FIRE.
Currently, firefighters are battling four major wildfires: Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills and Hurst Fire in Sylmar.
While some progress has been made in controlling the Eaton Fire, strong winds reaching 100 km per hour have made containing the Palisades Fire particularly challenging. Officials hope calmer weather conditions will improve containment efforts, though the National Weather Service has warned of critical fire weather persisting through Friday night.
Mayor under fire for
response to fatal wildfires
As thousands of firefighters are battling the raging wildfires in Los Angeles County, politically-motivated finger-pointing has set in. More than 110,000 signatures have been gathered demanding the resignation of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Started by a user identified as “Frustrated Californian,” the petition posted on the Change.org accuses Bass of “gross mismanagement” and a lack of leadership during the crisis.
The petition points to Bass’ diplomatic trip to Ghana, which took her out of the country when the fires erupted on January 7. (IANS)
