Firefighters got a respite Tuesday when winds were surprisingly light and they were able to make progress battling two massive fires in the Los Angeles area and quickly extinguish several new blazes.
The Eaton Fire, burning just north of Los Angeles, and the Palisades Fire, which destroyed much of the Pacific Palisades beach district, broke out on Jan. 7 under conditions similar to those expected Wednesday . Strong winds last week pushed the flames at remarkable speed and carried the flaming embers sometimes miles away.
The National Weather Service has issued red flag alerts — issued when temperatures are warm, humidity is low and strong winds are expected — from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m., from the Central Coast 275 miles (443 kilometers) to south to the border with Mexico. The “particularly dangerous situation” was in effect in an area including parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
“We are not out of the woods yet,” the weather service said in a message published late Tuesday. “Winds were not up to par today, but further strengthening could occur this evening and tomorrow.”
More than 77,000 homes were without power as utilities cut power to prevent their lines from sparking new fires.
The state of alert
Tired and anxious residents were urged to be ready to flee at any moment. They remained vigilant, keeping an eye on the sky and on each other: Police announced around 50 arrests for looting, flying drones in fire zones, violating curfew and other crimes.
Among those arrests, three people were arrested on suspicion of arson after they were seen starting small fires that were immediately put out, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said. One of them was using a barbecue lighter, another was setting brush on fire, and a third was trying to light a trash can. All were located far from the disaster areas. Authorities have not determined the cause of the main fires.
SEE ALSO | Forest fires in Los Angeles: thousands of people threatened with evacuation
Among the nine people charged with looting was a group that stole an Emmy award from an evacuated home, said Nathan Hochman, Los Angeles County district attorney.
The biggest worry remains the threat of strong winds. Supported by firefighters from other states, Canada and Mexico, the teams were deployed to tackle outbreaks or new fires. The firefighting force was much larger than a week ago, when the first wave of fires began destroying thousands of homes in what could become the nation’s costliest disaster.
Kaylin Johnson and her family planned to spend the night in their home, one of the few still standing in Altadena, near Pasadena. They intended to stand guard to prevent looting and to hose down neighbors’ homes and properties to prevent fires from breaking out.
“Our lives have been put on hold indefinitely,” Johnson said via text message, adding that she could not come and go freely due to restrictions on entering burn zones. “But I’d rather be here and not leave than not be allowed back at all.”
Ready to leave
The inhabitants are ready for any eventuality and to leave in a hurry.
Javier Vega, who says he feels like he’s “sleeping with one eye open,” and his girlfriend planned how they could quickly pack up their two cats, eight fish and leopard gecko if they were ordered to ‘evacuate.
“Usually, on any other night, hearing helicopters flying overhead from midnight to 4 a.m. would drive anyone crazy,” he said. But thinking they were helping firefighters keep the flames from threatening their neighborhood, he said, “it was actually calming for me to fall asleep.”
Planes doused homes and hillsides with bright pink fire-retardant chemicals, while crews and fire trucks deployed to particularly vulnerable areas with dry brush.
SEE ALSO | “There is nothing left”: the testimony of a Quebec woman victim of the forest fires in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other officials criticized for their initial response said they were confident the region was prepared to deal with the new threat. The mayor said she was able to fly over the disaster areas, which she described as resembling the aftermath of a “dry hurricane.”
This time around, winds are not expected to reach the same breakneck speeds as last week, but they could ground firefighting planes, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said. He urged homeless people to avoid lighting fires to keep warm and to seek shelter.
With no rain in more than eight months, the scrubby region has seen more than a dozen wildfires this year, mostly in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Firefighters rushed to small fires that broke out, quickly dousing several in Los Angeles County, including one Tuesday evening in the Angeles National Forest.
The four largest fires around the nation’s second-largest city have burned more than 100 square miles, about three times the size of Manhattan. The Eaton fire, near Pasadena, was about a third contained, while the largest, the Pacific Palisades fire on the coast, was much less well contained.
Looking for victims
According to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, the toll is likely to rise. Nearly 30 people are still missing, he said Tuesday. Some people previously reported missing have been found.
Just under 90,000 people in the county are still under evacuation orders, half as many as last week.
Hollywood on hold
The Hollywood awards season has been suspended due to the crisis. Oscar nominations have been delayed twice, and some organizations have postponed their awards ceremonies and announcements without rescheduling them.
