They continue to rage for the fourth to fifth day in a row and have left behind at least eleven, but the lightning-fast winds eased on Friday as the recriminations and criticism intensified.
In addition to the eleven people who lost their lives, entire suburbs of the second largest US city suffered terrible damage: more than 10,000 buildings were destroyed by the fire, as well as more than 140,000 acres of vegetation.
Biden: War scene in Los Angeles, looks bombed
The outgoing Democratic president likened the situation in the Californian metropolis to a “war scene”, saying that Los Angeles looks like it has been “bombed”.
The largest blaze charred more than 80,000 acres on the Malibu coast and in the upscale suburb of Pacific Palisades — where the fire department said it had begun to bring the blaze under control.
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The celebrities who “lost” their homes
Among them were actor and director Mel Gibson, who told NewsNation he was devastated after his home was destroyed in Malibu, as well as longtime NBA player and current Los Angeles Lakers coach Jay -Jay Reddick.
The wind eased yesterday, allowing firefighters to make progress in trying to control the active fire fronts — the main ones are five.
On Thursday, a new fire broke out north of the main fire in Pacific Palisades, near the suburb of Hidden Hills, home to several multi-millionaires and celebrities. For the most part, it was controlled.
“The situation is still very dangerous”
The situation “is still very dangerous,” Diane Criswell of the Federal Disaster Management Agency (FEMA) warned yesterday.
“The winds weakened today, but I just received a new weather report (…) they will strengthen again in the next few days,” he explained after a meeting at the White House.
In various sectors of the sprawling Californian metropolis, hundreds of thousands of people were told to leave their homes.
Curfew order to prevent looting
A curfew was imposed from 18:00 to 06:00 (local time) in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas yesterday in the face of looting that multiplied in fire-prone areas and neighborhoods where citizens were ordered to evacuate.
National guard units were deployed, while dozens of people were arrested for cases of this nature.
Prior to this decision, residents decided to fend for themselves, organizing patrols or guarding what was left of their neighborhoods themselves.
Criticisms are intensifying
While it is still too early to make safe assessments of the causes of the fires, criticism is mounting, especially about the level of preparation and the response of the authorities.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, yesterday called for an “independent and comprehensive review” of the city’s water distribution services. He criticized in particular the midst of fires, especially the first hours and days. “We need answers”, to “find out exactly what happened”, he said in an open letter.
Fire Chief Christine Crowley, for her part, told KTTV, part of Fox News’ national network, that her department is facing shortages of “personnel, resources and funds,” accusing the township of ” abandoned” the firefighters.
Ms. Crowley insisted, in another CNN interview, that she has repeatedly complained to officials about the $17 million budget and how “understaffed” and “underfunded” the fire department is: “We don’t have enough firefighters,” she hammered. time when the calls received by its service have increased by 55% since 2010.
The reinforcements sent will help, but in the future the fire department will need funding and support, he added.
Californians urged to save water: Reservoirs that feed fire hydrants and pumps have been emptied because of the fires.
In addition, the accidental sending of messages to mobile phones calling on citizens to urgently leave their homes last Thursday and last Friday, causing disturbance to the population, forced the authorities to apologize.
At the same time, the Federal Civil Aviation Service (FAA) announced that it is conducting an investigation into the incident in which a drone caused a hole in the wing of a firefighting aircraft.
Estimates for damages up to 15 billion
The fires in Los Angeles may turn out to be the costliest in history. AccuWeather estimates that the damages will have a value ranging from 135 to 150 billion dollars.
Trump’s water claims and the truth
US President-elect Donald Trump has spread false claims via Truth Social, claiming that California is suffering from a water shortage due to the Democrats’ environmental protection policies, which he says are wasting water to save “useless fish”. He has not stopped demanding that California Governor Newsom resign.
Outgoing President Biden, for his part, said that “a lot of demagogues” are trying to profit from misinformation about the disaster.
Warm and dry winds, known as Santa Ana winds, are common during the Californian winter. But this week their intensity was the highest since 2011, according to forecasters.
This is a real nightmare for firefighters, as California after two fairly rainy years is now suffering from an unnaturally dry winter, with virtually no rain for eight months.
Scientists often warn that climate change will make more and more frequent meteorological phenomena characterized as extreme, will multiply the so-called natural disasters.
