Firefighters are racing to contain wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area as forecasters warn of the return of strong winds this week.
Sixteen people are reported missing and at least 24 have been confirmed dead, officials said.
More than 12,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed by the wildfires, and the threat of further destruction remains high, officials said.
Coupled with low humidity, officials expect high winds to sweep through the region in the coming days, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour, according to Los Angeles City Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley. Authorities instituted a red flag warning until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, with the strongest winds expected to occur on Tuesday.
“These wind events are coming into Los Angeles,” Crowley said at a Sunday press conference. “Every available LAFD firefighter is on hand and will remain in place through this wind event. Additionally, firefighters continue to pour into the Southern California region to bolster our firefighting capabilities.”
The city is prepared for the high winds, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said at the briefing.
The city fire department has deployed 4,720 personnel to prevent the further spread of the Palisades Fire—which has now consumed more than 23,000 acres and is at 11 percent containment—into the Mandeville Canyon area. The Pacific Palisades is a neighborhood roughly 30 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. The fire affecting that area is currently the region’s largest wildfire and is quickly spreading. Containment on the Eaton Fire reached 27 percent.
Officials are asking residents to stay out of the affected areas, as dangerous conditions remain, including smoldering fires, no power or water, broken gas lines, and downed electrical lines. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said roughly 105,000 residents are under mandatory evacuation orders, with another 87,000 under evacuation warnings.
“If you are asked to leave and you’re in an evacuation order area, your life is in danger. You need to leave,” Luna said at the press conference. “In driving around some of these areas, they literally look like war zones.”
Nearly 30 arrests have been made in the fire zones, including a man impersonating a firefighter who was trying to burglarize a home, said Luna.
Residents should also stay clear of the area while officials use cadaver dogs for grid sweeping, he said. Three deceased individuals were found during a recent 364-property search of the Altadena area.
“As these searches continue, I unfortunately anticipate that those numbers will increase. We will start a similar operation in the northern side of the county here very soon,” Luna said.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is enforcing a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in areas where mandatory evacuations are still in place, according to Police Chief Jim McDonnell.
“Unless you’re public safety personnel or some other disaster workers, you have no reason to be at these locations,” McDonnell said. “And if you are in those areas, you will be subject to arrest.”
He said initially the LAPD tried to provide police escorts for some residents who needed to retrieve medication or pets, but after the number of requests “became overwhelming,” the police had to cease escorts on Sunday.
Kathryn Barger, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, said she sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump inviting him to visit the county and “see the devastation of these wildfires firsthand” while meeting with impacted residents. Barger hopes the trip could facilitate ways the federal government “can help our communities heal and rebuild.”
“I look forward to welcoming President-elect Trump to our communities so he can see the desperate need, but also the incredible opportunity, hope, and perseverance of our impacted neighbors,” she said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is hosting staff at eight libraries on Sunday and Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to provide residents with disaster relief assistance. Fire victims in the San Gabriel and Crescenta Valley areas can visit the La Crescenta, La Cañada Flint Ridge, Live Oak, Temple City, San Gabriel, and Alhambra libraries. Victims in West Los Angeles or in the San Fernando Valley are instructed to visit the West Hollywood or San Fernando libraries for assistance.
“We are rapidly deploying resources to ensure that the displaced residents have access to the resources they need in the short and the long term,” Barger said. “Displaced residents will be served to the highest level as we address your housing welfare, health care, and economic needs.”
The Pacific Palisades and adjacent communities north of San Vicente Boulevard under evacuation, as well as locations in the Pasadena area in the San Gabriel Valley, currently also have a “do not drink” water notice. Utilities are restoring connections in cities including Malibu on Sunday, officials said. Southern California Edison reported 172,000 customers without power on Friday.
Los Angeles County remains under a local health emergency because of poor air quality. Locals are urged to wear N-95 or 9100 masks to filter smaller air particles. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is providing N-95 masks at all evacuation shelters and to community organizations during the air contamination.
“The air quality is improving, as we have seen the smoke lessen with the better containment of the fires,” said Anish Mahajan, the chief deputy director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “We encourage residents who are closest to the fire who are smelling smoke or seeing it ... to be using masks when they’re outside.”
