Fires have already caused 25 deaths, with 26 people still missing
The US National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a “particularly dangerous situation” warning due to high winds for some areas of Los Angeles, which could be a hindrance for firefighters battling blazes.
The NWS therefore maintains the red alert for gusty winds until Thursday. Wind gusts of 60 to 90 km/h are expected in the mountainous area of Los Angeles County and Ventura, where peaks of up to 100 km/h may be recorded.
Winds with gusts between 56 and 80 km/h are also expected along the coast.
A “particularly dangerous situation” is the most extreme level of a fire warning, but the NWS forecast is not as severe as the one issued last week, when strong wind gusts fueled flames and sparked up to six fires in Los Angeles in a single day.
Firefighters expected favorable weather conditions on Wednesday as they battled the flames, especially the two largest fires still active — Palisades and Eaton — which are 19% and 45% under control, respectively.
At a news conference, Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said residents should “prioritize their safety” and leave their homes if an evacuation order is issued.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna indicated that they are still searching for 26 missing people, 20 in the Eaton area and six in the Palisades area.
The Palisades City Fire burned 9,596 acres and the Eaton blaze that affected the cities of Altadena and Pasadena burned 5,712 acres.
At least 80,000 people are still under evacuation orders from four wildfires currently raging in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
The multiple fires that are ravaging Los Angeles have already caused the deaths of 25 people, with more than 16,100 hectares burned, 7,000 structures destroyed and the evacuation of more than 150,000 people since the 7th of this month.
