In total, the wildfires destroyed more than 117 square kilometers and more than ten thousand homes and other buildings
At least ten people have died in the fires that have been affecting the city of Los Angeles, in the southwest of the United States, since Tuesday, according to the most recent report.
In a statement, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office said it has been “notified of ten fire-related deaths.”
“All cases are currently awaiting identification and notification to the next of kin”, adds the text, released on Thursday night.
“Identification may take several weeks, as the Department of Forensic Medicine cannot visit all locations (…) due to fire conditions and safety concerns,” he warned.
The department also highlighted that “traditional means of identification”, such as fingerprints and visual identification, “may not be available” because some bodies are charred.
“This means that more time will be needed to identify the deceased,” he acknowledged.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley confirmed that two deaths occurred due to the Pacific Palisades fire, which is already the most destructive in the city’s history.
The fire in one of Los Angeles’ wealthiest neighborhoods burned more than 70 square kilometers and more than 5,300 homes and other buildings, Crowley said.
A new fire broke out north of Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon and prompted authorities to order the evacuation of thousands of homes.
This fire joins the five active fires that have affected Los Angeles since Tuesday, mainly the Pacific Coast and Santa Monica.
County officials said one of them, the Eaton fire, caused the deaths of five people.
The previous report referred to the existence of seven fatalities.
Fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, the Kenneth fire, which was recorded at 3:34 pm local time on Thursday (11:34 pm in Lisbon), “threatens nearby communities and infrastructure, prompting rapid evacuation orders”, announced the Los Angeles Fire Service. Angeles.
Firefighters from Los Angeles and Ventura counties have been mobilized to the area to contain the fire, which currently affects a 20-acre area and remains out of control.
In total, the wildfires destroyed more than 117 square kilometers and more than ten thousand homes and other buildings. At least 180,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders.
AccuWeather, a company that provides data on the impact of extreme weather phenomena, on Thursday raised its estimate of damage and economic losses from fires to between 135 and 150 billion dollars (between 131 and 146 billion euros).