The total number of confirmed deaths stands at 16 victims and the cases remain under investigation. Five of the deaths were attributed to the Palisades Fire and 11 to the Eaton Fire, the coroner’s office said in a statement Saturday evening.
The previous number of confirmed deaths was 11, but authorities stressed they expected that figure to rise as cadaver dogs search razed neighborhoods and crews assess the damage. The authorities have set up a center where people can report the missing.
Firefighters worked Saturday to limit the spread of wildfires before the return of potentially strong winds that could push the flames toward the famous J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), while New evacuation warnings have left more homeowners on edge.
A fierce battle against the flames was underway at Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities not far from the Pacific coast, where helicopters dumped water as the fire spread down the hill. Firefighters on the ground used hoses to try to push back the leaping flames, as thick smoke covered the chaparral-covered hillside.
During a briefing, CalFire Chief of Operations Christian Litz said one of the main concerns Saturday will be the Palisades Fire burning in the canyon area, not far from the UCLA campus.
“We have to be aggressive there,” Mr. Litz stressed.
County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the Los Angeles area “experienced another night of unimaginable terror and grief, and even more residents were evacuated due to the northeastern expansion of the Palisades Fire.
Light breezes fanned the flames, but the National Weather Service warned that strong Santa Ana winds — firefighters’ bane — could soon return. Those winds have been widely blamed for turning wildfires into infernos that flattened entire neighborhoods around the city, where there has been no significant rainfall in more than eight months.
The fire also threatened to cross Interstate 405 and spread into densely populated areas of the Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Valley.
The search for bodies continues
The grim work of sifting through the damage continued Saturday, with teams conducting systematic grid searches with cadaver dogs, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. He mentioned that a family assistance center was being established in Pasadena, and urged residents to respect the curfew.
The fires consumed approximately 145 square kilometers, which is an area larger than San Francisco. Tens of thousands of people are still under evacuation orders and new evacuations were ordered Friday evening after a surge east of the Palisades fire.
Since the fires began Tuesday just north of downtown Los Angeles, they have burned more than 12,000 structures, which include homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles.
No cause has been determined for the larger fires. Early estimates indicate the wildfires could be the costliest on record in the United States. A preliminary estimate from AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far at US$135 billion to US$150 billion.
So many volunteers showed up to help at donation centers Saturday that some were turned away. This was the case at a YMCA in the Koreatown neighborhood. Late in the morning, cars carrying volunteers were also turned away from the Santa Anita Park racetrack, where donations of basic necessities were being accepted.
Warning against returning to burned houses
Some residents returned to see what could be saved after wildfires destroyed their homes, rummaging through the rubble for souvenirs. But authorities urged them Saturday to stay away, warning that the ashes may contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other harmful materials.
“If you stir these things, you breathe them in,” said Chris Thomas, spokesman for the Unified Response Command at the Palisades fire site. “All of these things are toxic.”
Residents will be allowed to return, with protective gear, after repair crews assess their properties, he said.
City leaders accused
Allegations of management failures and political blame began, as did investigations. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered state officials to determine why a 100 million gallon reservoir was out of service and some fire hydrants were dry.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley argued that city leaders failed in their duty by not providing enough money to fight the fires. She also criticized the lack of water.
“When a firefighter approaches a fire hydrant, we expect there to be water,” she said.
Firefighters made their first progress Friday afternoon on the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena, which has burned more than 7,000 structures. Authorities said most evacuation orders for the area had been lifted. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said several smaller fires were also stopped.
The level of devastation is shocking, even in a state that regularly faces massive wildfires.
