Fires spread to Los Angeles, threatened by the return of violent winds

The fires which killed at least 16 people in Los Angeles continued to gain ground on Sunday and could gain strength in the hours to come, with the expected return of violent winds.

Besieged by flames since Tuesday, the American megalopolis continues to count its dead: the toll increased on Saturday evening and could still evolve, the authorities maintained.

The situation is still criticalsaid Deanne Criswell of the federal disaster response agency (FEMA) on Sunday.

The winds risk becoming dangerous againshe explained to the ABC channel, calling on the population to remain extremely vigilant.

After a brief lull in the winds, the authorities expect them to return in force on Sunday.

These winds, combined with dry air and dry vegetation, will keep the fire threat in Los Angeles County high.

Despite the efforts of thousands of “fire soldiers”, the Palisades fire spread to the northwest of Los Angeles on Saturday. It now threatens the densely populated San Fernando Valley, but also the Getty Museum and its priceless works of art.

More than 12,000 structures – houses, various buildings and even caravans – were destroyed or damaged by fire, according to the latest report.

The management of the authorities criticized

It’s simply overwhelmingsaid to theAFP Dara Danton, a 25-year resident of the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, the first to catch fire Tuesday.

She is one of more than 150,000 people forced to flee the region because of the flames.

The second largest city in the United States in terms of population is replaying scenes that it has not experienced since the pandemic. Its legendary traffic jams are gone, and residents who venture outside often wear a mask to protect themselves from the toxic air of smoke.

Many of them are beginning to question the management by the authorities, particularly because firefighters have sometimes had to deal with dry or low pressure fire hydrants.

Our city has completely failed usdeclared to theAFP Nicole Perri, another Pacific Palisades resident who lost her home.

Much criticized, the Democratic mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, maintained on Saturday that her services were all on the same wavelength. The day before, the city’s fire chief had blamed the insufficient budget allocated by the municipality to the firefighters.

The state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, asked Friday a comprehensive independent review city ​​water distribution services.

Donald Trump once again attacked local leaders over their management of the fires. Incompetent politicians have no idea how to turn them offhe wrote on his Truth Social platform.

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Faced with looting in disaster or evacuated areas, a strict curfew, in force between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., is now in force in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena sectors, the most ravaged.

The damage is expected to be in the tens of billions of dollars, and some experts already fear that these fires will be the costliest on record.

The state’s governor said Sunday on NBC that he wanted to launch a Plan Marshall to rebuild California: We are still fighting these fires, but we are already talking with leaders […]business leaders, ONGhe clarified.

The authorities are also mobilizing to contain the dizzying jump in rental rates, with which some evacuees are struggling. On Saturday, the state attorney general recalled that this practice was punishable by one year in prison and a $10,000 fine.

In the city, rescuers assisted by sniffer dogs continue to inspect the rubble for bodies.

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Ongoing investigation

The investigation to determine the causes of these multiple fires, in which the FBIis still in progress, recalled Saturday the sheriff of Los Angeles County, Robert Luna.

We will leave no stone unturnedhe argued.

The hot, dry Santa Ana winds that fanned these fires are a classic of California autumns and winters. But this time they reached an intensity not seen since 2011, according to meteorologists, with gusts of up to 160 km/h this week.

Enough to spread the embers very quickly, sometimes over kilometers. A nightmare scenario for firefighters, because California is coming out of two very rainy years which gave rise to lush vegetation, now dried up by a severe lack of rain for eight months.

Scientists regularly point out that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.