Update on the situation, Tuesday January 14 in the morning (9:10 p.m. Monday, Los Angeles)
Nearly a week after its hills began burning, Los Angeles is seeing a strengthening of hot, dry winds that could have “a force close to that of a hurricane”said the city’s mayor, Karen Bass.
“Not only do these extreme and dangerous conditions greatly complicate the fight against ongoing fires, but they will make new fires much more likely”alert the American weather services which warn that the gusts, which are already blowing up to 120 kilometers per hour in certain areas, will last at least until Wednesday.
Additional water trucks and dozens of firefighters arrived in the Los Angeles area Monday to combat the conditions. “We are absolutely better prepared”said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone when asked what would be different from the first week.
????According to Cal Fire, the Palisades Fire, stretching from eastern Malibu (????) to Pacific Palisades (????), the largest of the fires, which has burned 96 square kilometers, is 14% contained. It now threatens the densely populated San Fernando Valley.
????L’Eaton Fire, near Altadena (????), which burned 57 square kilometers, is 33% contained.
????The Hurst Firenorth of San Fernando (????), which burned 3 square kilometers, is 97% contained.
????The Kenneth Firenorth of the Palisades Fire near Calabasas (????), which has burned 4.25 square kilometers, is 100% contained. All evacuation alerts have been lifted for this fire.
- The death toll of 24 announced Sunday by local authorities has not changed, while in the ravaged neighborhoods, rescuers assisted by dogs continue to inspect the rubble in search of bodies.
- Tens of thousands of people are still under evacuation orders. Any return of evacuees was stopped until Thursday because of the wind, which was gaining strength, firefighters warned.
- The American President, Joe Biden, estimated that “it will cost[it] tens of billions of dollars to restore Los Angeles to the state it was”. More than 12,000 homes, buildings and vehicles were destroyed or damaged by the fires. “We will continue to use all the means at our disposal to fight the fires”Joe Biden pledged.
