Los Angeles braces for strong winds threatening to intensify devouring wildfires

Los Angeles firefighters have prepared for strong winds, which could intensify colossal wildfires that have already devastated entire neighborhoods, claimed at least two dozen lives, and burned an area as large as Washington, D.C.

Late Monday, dry and dangerous Santa Ana winds reached speeds of 48 to 80 kph, but the red flag warning was set to take effect at 10 p.m. PST (0600 GMT), with peak gusts potentially reaching 120 kph overnight into Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.

More than 8,500 firefighters have launched an offensive to curb the raging fires from the ground and air, preventing the conflagrations at either end of Los Angeles from spreading overnight.

“This setup is about as bad as it gets. We are not in the clear,” Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley warned residents, as the state pre-positioned firefighting crews in vulnerable areas across Southern California.

The two massive wildfires, which started last week, were fueled by hurricane-force winds carrying dry desert air. Since then, at least 24 people lost their lives, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

The wildfires have damaged or destroyed over 12,000 structures, reducing entire neighborhoods to smoldering ruins and heaps of debris, creating a landscape reminiscent of an apocalypse.

As of Monday, over 92,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders, a decrease from the previous peak of more than 150,000, while an additional 89,000 were facing evacuation warnings.

The Palisades Fire, which devastated upscale areas west of Los Angeles, has burned 23,713 acres and is 14 percent contained. The Eaton Fire, east of the city in the San Gabriel Mountains, has consumed 14,117 acres and is 33 percent contained.

A third fire, covering 799 acres north of town, is 95 percent contained, and three other fires in the county have been fully controlled.

Los Angeles mayor under fire for mismanagement

Southern California is experiencing severe wildfires that have destroyed over 10,000 structures, with economic losses projected to be between $50 to $150 billion, due to budget cuts and administrative incompetence.

Arrests 

On Monday, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that 10 people had been arrested in relation to the fires, nine of whom were detained for committing residential burglaries in fire-affected areas, while one individual was arrested for arson after attempting to set a tree on fire in Azusa, some 32 kilometers northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

There is “a special place in hell” for looters, warned US Senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, during a Monday press conference.

“And if the folks behind me have anything to say about it, there'll be a special place in jail for you too,” he stressed.

According to California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is already under fire for his handling of the Los Angeles wildfires with opponents labeling his leadership as a “series of catastrophic failures”, the firestorm could rank as the most devastating natural disaster in US history.

“Our hearts ache for the 24 innocent souls we have lost in the wildfires across Los Angeles," said outgoing US President Joe Biden, who also announced additional disaster aid for California to cover expenses for debris removal and emergency protective actions.

As expected, incoming president Donald Trump blamed the Democrat leadership for the wildfires, particularly slamming Newsom for mismanagement of the “apocalyptic” wildfires.

“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Trump said on January 8.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said, “Rebuilding after the fires that left some Los Angeles neighborhoods in smoldering ruins over the past week will carry a staggering cost in the billions of dollars.”

"It's going to cost tens of billions of dollars to get Los Angeles back where it was," the outgoing president said.

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