Fires in Los Angeles: new strong wind gusts expected

Strong gusts of wind forecast for Wednesday threaten to fuel the vast fires still raging around Los Angeles, the second city in the United States, and which have killed at least 25 people.

A week after these disasters began and spread at lightning speed, meteorologists warned that the “particularly dangerous” Santa Ana winds would intensify.

The latter are a classic of Californian autumns and winters but this time they reached a strength not seen since 2011, with gusts of up to 160 km/h last week.

Winds of more than 110 km/h

“Stay attentive (…). Be prepared to evacuate. Avoid anything that could start a fire,” the National Weather Service (NWS) said, warning of winds of up to 110 km/h between 3 a.m. (11 a.m. GMT) and 3 p.m. (11 p.m. GMT) today. Wednesday.

The humidity level, very low, and the vegetation, extremely dry after eight months without precipitation, can lead to an “ultra-rapid expansion of the fire” in certain places, underline the meteorologists, who also placed a large part of the south of the California on red alert.

Very dry vegetation

Several areas of Los Angeles County and swaths of neighboring Ventura County are in a “particularly dangerous situation,” the NWS noted, using the same terms as before last week’s deadly fires.

“All the vegetation is really dry and ready to burn, so (…) fires can occur quite quickly,” meteorologist Ryan Kittell told AFP on Tuesday. The Palisades and Eaton outbreaks – which are still active in places – could restart and new disasters could quickly become problematic, he added.

The two main fires covered 9,700 hectares in the upscale neighborhood of Pacific Palisades and more than 5,700 in the city of Altadena, just north of Los Angeles.

Authorities on alert

The authorities nevertheless say that they are ready to face new threats, while the fire hydrants had finally dried up in recent days.

“We have checked the water system in the Eaton fire zone and it is operational, which means we have water and pressure,” assured Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.

Toxic ashes

Health services are also urging everyone to wear a mask, as gusts raise toxic ash. “The ashes are not just dirt,” warned Anish Mahajan of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “These are dangerous fine dusts that can irritate or damage your respiratory system and other parts of your body.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday ordered cleanup crews to be ready to respond, as emergency officials predict possible winter rainstorms that could cause mudslides.

Residents cleaning

Some Palisades residents have decided not to wait and are working to remove the charred debris from streets and sidewalks themselves. Chuck Hart, a business manager, and his team were working on a construction site in his neighborhood when the fire broke out.

After saving his mother’s house from the flames, they began clearing the streets. “Since then, we have been doing this non-stop (…). We’re going to do everything in our power to get this place back up and running as quickly as possible.”

Refusing to leave the apartment complex he manages in Pacific Palisades, Jeff Ridgway told AFP that he saved it from the flames by drawing buckets of water from the swimming pool to extinguish a dangerously close eucalyptus tree. “It was war,” exclaimed this sixty-year-old. “But I was stubborn, I fought.”

Nearly 90,000 displaced

The damage is immense: more than 12,000 homes, other buildings and vehicles were destroyed or damaged and entire neighborhoods razed.

These fires, among the worst in California’s history, could be the costliest on record: between $250 and $275 billion, according to preliminary estimates from the private company AccuWeather.

Some 88,000 people are still displaced and at least 25 have died, according to a new report. Those whose homes were spared are frustrated at not being able to return to them.

“My house burned”

For others, there is nothing left. “My house burned down, I know that. I saw photos: only the chimney remains. But I need to see it with my own eyes to believe it,” Fred Busche told AFP.

The scale of the disaster was still difficult for many to comprehend. The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, even confided that it was only after flying over her city that she began to measure the consequences, while an investigation aimed at determining the causes of the fires was opened. Tuesday at the federal level. “It’s one thing to see it on television, it’s another to see it from the air. The massive destruction is unimaginable until you actually see it.”

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