Los Angeles is still under seige from flames as our own Coromandel begins to catch alight in the heat. The NZ Police are being kept very busy with investigations; and AI.
Firefighters are battling massive wildfires around Los Angeles, with winds pushing flames towards new areas.
At least 16 people are dead, and more than 12,000 structures have burned, including homes and vehicles.
A huge investigation is under way to determine the cause, involving the FBI and local authorities.
Firefighters were racing against time on Saturday to contain massive wildfires around Los Angeles as winds ramped up, pushing the blazes towards previously untouched neighbourhoods.
At least 16 people were now confirmed dead from fires that have ripped through the city, leaving communities in ruins and testing the mettle of thousands of firefighters – and millions of California residents.
Despite heroic efforts, including precision sorties from aerial crews, the Palisades Fire continued to grow on Saturday, pushing east towards the priceless collections of the Getty Centre art museum and north to the densely populated San Fernando Valley.
A brief lull in the wind was rapidly giving way to gusts that forecasters warned would feed the blazes for days to come.
“Critical fire weather conditions will unfortunately ramp up again today for southern California and last through at least early next week,” the National Weather Service said.
Firefighters work in the Mandeville Canyon neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Photo / AFP
“This may lead to the spread of ongoing fires as well as the development of new ones.”
Survivors were cautioned to not spend time outside or to wear a mask to avoid inhaling toxic particles from the thick smoke that wreathes the city.
‘I know it’s gone'
The Palisades fire was 11% contained on Saturday but had grown to 9500ha, while the Eaton Fire was at 5600ha and 15% contained.
Official figures show more than 12,000 structures burned, but Cal Fire’s Todd Hopkins said not all were homes, and the number would also include outbuildings, RVs, vehicles and sheds.
Red flame retardant is seen on the mailbox of a home in the Mandeville Canyon neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Photo / AFP
This aerial photo shows homes and businesses reduced to smouldering rubble by the Palisades fire in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Photo / AFP
“I know it’s gone, but ... I just want to see it for myself.”
The long queues left some people fuming about poor management, the latest gripe from a population already angry over hydrants that ran dry in the initial firefight.
City officials put on a united front on Saturday after reports of a behind-the-scenes row and suggestions that Mayor Karen Bass had sacked her fire chief.
“As you see here, the chief and I are lockstep in our No 1 mission, and that mission is to get us past this emergency,” Bass said.
An at times tense joint press conference came after Chief Kristin Crowley complained her fire department was short of cash.
“My message is the fire department needs to be properly funded,” Crowley told Fox television’s local network. “It’s not.”
Among those known to have died in the tragedy was former Australian child star Rory Sykes, who appeared in British TV show Kiddy Kapers in the 1990s.
“It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son @Rorysykes to the Malibu fires yesterday. I’m totally heart broken,” his mother Shelley Sykes wrote on social media.
It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son @Rorysykes to the Malibu fires yesterday. I’m totally heart broken. British born Australian living in America, a wonderful son, a gift born on mine & his grandmas birthday 29 July 92, Rory Callum… pic.twitter.com/X77xyk83gx
Teams with cadaver dogs were combing through the rubble, with several people known to be missing and fears that the death toll will grow.
‘Criminal act’ investigation under way
A huge investigation was under way to determine what caused the blazes, involving the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with local authorities, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
“We are not going to leave any rock unturned,” he said.
To the people of the communities affected by the wildfires, my heart aches for those who have lost your homes, memories and everything that you have built over your life. I send my sincere sympathy to all who are impacted by this heartbreaking situation. You have endured so much… pic.twitter.com/QwjZXGrCLZ
“If this is a criminal act – I’m not saying it’s going to be – if it is, we need to hold whoever did this, or groups responsible,” Luna added, appealing for anyone who had information to come forward.
While the ignition of a wildfire can be deliberate, they are often natural, and a vital part of an environment’s life cycle.
National Guard soldiers stand at a checkpoint to enter the Mandeville Canyon neighbourhood. Photo / AFP
But urban sprawl puts people more frequently in harm’s way, and the changing climate – supercharged by humanity’s unchecked use of fossil fuels – is exacerbating the conditions that give rise to destructive blazes.
