The situation remains critical due to the forecast of strong winds
Almost a week after the fires started in Los Angeles, there are 25 confirmed deaths and 23 missing and a situation that remains volatile, with the threat of worsening wind and three fires to be controlled.
The largest fire, in Pacific Palisades, has a containment level of just 14%, making it the largest and most destructive in the county, where eight people have died.
The Eaton fire, in Altadena (near Pasadena), is 33% contained at a time when 17 deaths have already been confirmed. In Sylmar, the Hurst fire is the closest to being controlled, with containment at 95%.
There are at least 2,500 agents fighting the fires in Los Angeles, which includes the National Guard and firefighters from Mexico and Canada. After some lull in the Santa Ana winds that sparked these fires, the county is again under a red warning for the next two days.
“Elevated critical fire weather conditions will continue through Wednesday,” warned Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone. “These winds, combined with low humidity, will keep the fire threat throughout Los Angeles County very high.”
Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley assured that the department is focused on “containing fires, saving lives and protecting property.”
The emergency operations center announced that the city of Los Angeles is working with the federal agency FEMA to open disaster recovery centers to assist residents affected by the fires. At least 180,000 people had to be evacuated and many lost their homes, with an estimated 12,000 buildings burning down in the main fires.
The first recovery center will open on Wednesday, January 15, at the UCLA University Research Park.
Estimates now point to losses of about $250 billion, and this could become the worst wildfire in California history in terms of the number of structures burned and economic losses, according to AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter.
The leader of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, said that federal aid to California in the aftermath of this disaster will depend on certain conditions, something that is unusual in Congress, which usually approves emergency aid without conditions to affected states.
