LA fires: Santa Ana hurricane-force winds could intensify wildfires

LOS ANGELES, Jan 14 (Reuters) – Los Angeles firefighters braced on Tuesday for a new round of intense winds that could fuel two monstrous wildfires that have already killed at least 24 people, leveled entire neighborhoods and scorched an area the size of Washington, D.C.

Much of Los Angeles and Ventura County could experience wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph from early Tuesday through Wednesday as dry Santa Ana winds picked up after relative calm last week, according to the National Weather Service.

It declared a red flag warning, meaning the situation was dangerous and could ignite new fires while stoking those already burning.

“This setup is about as bad as it gets,” Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told local residents. “We are not in the clear.”

Highlighting the risks, a small but fast-moving new fire erupted overnight in scrubland in the bed of the Santa Clara River in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles.

Ground crew and several helicopters were working to contain the so-called Auto Fire, which had razed over 56 acres and was burning near a golf course but not yet threatening homes.

In anticipation of the winds, more than 8,500 firefighters attacked the two biggest wildfires from the air and on the ground, aiming to prevent them from spreading overnight.

State authorities on Monday pre-positioned firefighting crews in Los Angeles and other Southern California counties that were under elevated fire danger.

The Palisades and Eaton fires erupted on the city’s western and eastern flanks during last week’s intense winds but crews made progress in controlling them since the weekend.

At least 24 people have died in the blazes, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. This toll will likely rise, officials said, as crews carried out house to house searches in burnt-out neighborhoods.

The Eaton fire damaged the Altadena home of Lorraine Bryan, 63, and destroyed two other dwellings on her property. She told Reuters she was worried about getting refills of insulin that she needs to manage diabetes.

“I’m worried about insurance and about rebuilding and getting back on my feet,” Bryan said on Monday, standing in the doorway of her charred home. “I need my medication. I’m trying to see who can help us.”

APOCALYPTIC LANDSCAPE

The wildfires have destroyed or damaged more than 12,000 structures, turning entire neighborhoods into smoldering ash and piles of rubble and leaving an apocalyptic landscape.

As of Monday, more than 92,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders – down from more than 150,000 – while a further 89,000 faced evacuation warnings.

The Palisades Fire, which wiped out upscale communities on the western flank of Los Angeles, burned 23,713 acres (96 square km) and was 14% contained.

The Eaton Fire in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains east of the city consumed another 14,117 acres (57 sq km) and was 33% contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported.

A third fire, the Hurst, spanning 799 acres (3.2 sq km) was 95% contained, while three other fires in the county have been fully brought under control in recent days.

DEATH AND ARRESTS

Deputies were finding human remains every day in burned-out parts of Altadena, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

“It is a very grim task,” Luna said, adding he expected the confirmed death toll to rise in the days ahead.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has said the firestorm could rank as the most devastating natural disaster in U.S. history. It is already the costliest wildfire in terms of insured losses.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman on Monday said 10 people had been arrested in connection with the fires. Nine were arrested for residential burglaries of fire-stricken areas. One other person was arrested for arson, after allegedly attempting to set a tree on fire in the city of Azusa, about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, said on Monday there was “a special place in hell” and in jail for looters.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was sued on Monday on claims that it failed to properly manage water supplies critical to fighting the deadly Palisades Fire, a court filing showed. Residents who sued alleged the department should have maintained water in a nearby reservoir, which was dry at the time the fire first erupted last Tuesday.

AID AND POLITICS

“Our hearts ache for the 24 innocent souls we have lost in the wildfires across Los Angeles,” said U.S. President Joe Biden, who announced additional disaster aid for California.

But top Republicans in the U.S. Congress are considering imposing conditions on disaster aid, accusing the state’s Democratic leadership of mismanaging water resources and forests.

California Governor Newsom and other top Democrats in the state have come under withering criticism for their handling of the fires.

President-elect Donald Trump planned to visit the disaster zone after he is inaugurated next week, a source familiar with the matter said.

With thousands of homeowners facing costly rebuilding, large commercial banks, including JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, have announced plans to ease mortgage repayment conditions for those affected. Insurers are looking at historic losses.