The US Weather Service (NWS) warned that wind gusts could reach 110 kilometers per hour between 3 a.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Parts of Los Angeles County and neighboring Ventura County have been declared an “extremely hazardous situation.”
Very low humidity and very dry vegetation could lead to “extremely rapid fire spread” in some areas, warned meteorologists, who declared a red weather alert for much of Southern California.
The damage is enormous. More than 12,000 houses, buildings and vehicles were burned or damaged, and entire neighborhoods were razed to the ground. Almost 88,000 people were displaced, and at least 25 died, according to new data, reports HINA.
Refusing to leave the apartment complex he manages in Pacific Palisades, Jeff Ridgway said he defended the building with buckets of water from a swimming pool to put out a fire that engulfed a eucalyptus tree that was dangerously close. “It was a war,” said the 60-year-old. “But I was persistent, I fought.”
Fred Busche was less fortunate. “My house burned down, I know. I saw the photos: only the chimney remained. But I have to see it with my own eyes to be sure,” he said.
The two largest fires destroyed 9,700 hectares in Pacific Palisades and more than 5,700 in the city of Altadena, north of Los Angeles.
Federal authorities opened an investigation Tuesday to determine the cause of the fire, noting that it will take time.
“We know you want answers, you deserve them. ATF will give you answers when the investigation is complete,” said Jose Medina, the agency’s explosives and weapons representative.
Rescuers with sniffer dogs search for victims in the ruins for days. On Monday, 1,800 homes were searched, Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna said. “The good news is that we didn’t find any bodies,” he said.
The damage could range between 250 and 275 billion US dollars, according to AccuWeather’s provisional estimates.
Hundreds of thousands of children returned to school on Monday, but schools in evacuation zones remained closed.
Late Monday evening, a new fire broke out in Oxnard, 80 kilometers from Los Angeles.
After problems fighting the fire in the Pacific Palisades sector due to hydrants without water or low pressure, Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said Tuesday that there is water and pressure in the Altadena sector.
California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, has called for an “independent and comprehensive investigation” of the Los Angeles water distribution system.
On Tuesday, he ordered cleanup crews to be ready to intervene as authorities fear winter storms could trigger mudslides.
Health authorities have warned of health hazards from wind-blown smoke and ash.
“It is a fine dust that can irritate or damage your respiratory system and other parts of the body,” warned Anish Mahajan, a district representative. Authorities urged residents to wear masks.
The St. Anne winds, which fueled the fires, are common in California in the fall and winter. But this time they are the strongest since 2011, according to meteorologists, reaching a speed of 160 kilometers per hour last week.
The spread of the fire was favored by the lush vegetation that grew thanks to two very rainy years, but there was no rainfall in the last eight months, so it dried up.
(Vijesti.ba)
