Strong wind predictions cause more fire concerns for Los Angeles and firefighters are expected to be battling Coromandel vegetation fire for several days. Video / NZ Herald, AFP
Los Angeles was braced for near “hurricane force” winds on Tuesday that weather forecasters said could fan the devastating wildfires that have swept across southern California over the past week.
As firefighters struggled to contain the deadly blazes that continued to rage in the suburbs of the US’s second-largestcity, the National Weather Service issued a “red flag alert” warning amid deteriorating conditions.
Winds of up to 120 km/h an hour were expected to hit the region until Wednesday morning, according to the NWS, combining with extremely dry conditions to create “critical fire weather”.
“The National Weather Service is predicting close to hurricane-force level winds, and so we’re making urgent preparations,” LA mayor Karen Bass said.
“My top priority, and the priority of everyone else, is to do everything we can to protect lives as these winds approach.”
Authorities have since last Wednesday battled blazes that have burnt more than 16,000 hectares of land. California Governor Gavin Newsom warned the fires could become the costliest disaster in US history as he clashed with President-elect Donald Trump over the state’s response.
The cause of the fires has not yet been determined, but lawsuits are expected to mount in the weeks ahead.
Firefighters work to combat the Pacific Palisades fire in Los Angeles. Photo / Philip Cheung, The New York Times
Shares in utility group Edison International fell 11.9% after Bloomberg reported it was being sued in a case alleging equipment owned by its subsidiary Southern California Edison was responsible for igniting one of the blazes. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The largest of the outbreaks, the Pacific Palisades fire, was just 14% contained by Tuesday, prompting fears strong gusts in the coming days would reverse progress in combating the blazes.
“Do not do anything that could spark a fire,” the NWS warned as it cautioned powerful winds could create “explosive fire growth”.
The death toll had reached 24 by Tuesday, officials said, and was expected to climb as authorities combed through the wreckage in search of missing people.
Bass said firefighters from LA and across the state were “in a proactive and strategic posture to save lives” in badly damaged areas. About 5000 firefighters were positioned in the Palisades area and another 3000 at the Eaton fire near Altadena.
The disaster has spilled over into the political arena, with Trump attacking the state’s authorities for failing to halt the destruction. “The fires are still raging in L.A. The incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out,” he posted on his Truth Social network.
The incoming Republican President has accused California’s governor, a Democrat, of depleting water reserves to protect an endangered species of fish, and of refusing to sign a “water restoration declaration”. Newsom’s office said no such declaration exists.
“That mis- and disinformation I don’t think advantages or aids any of us,” Newsom told NBC’s Meet the Press, noting he had invited the president-elect to visit affected areas but had yet to receive a response.
“Responding to Donald Trump’s insults, we would spend another month.”
