The megalopolis of Los Angeles is still grappling with flames on Sunday, with fires continuing to gain ground as winds strengthen. Besieged by flames since Tuesday, the second most populous city in the United States continues to count its dead: the toll rose on Saturday evening to 16 deaths and could still evolve, the authorities have warned.
“The situation is still critical”warned Deanne Criswell of the Federal Natural Disaster Response Agency (FEMA) on ABC on Sunday, calling on the population to remain extremely vigilant.
After a short lull, hot and dry winds are expected to regain strength until Wednesday, complicating the work of firefighters, authorities have warned. “These winds, combined with low relative humidity and fuels, will keep the fire threat very high”warned Anthony Marrone, the county fire chief, on Sunday.
Despite the efforts of thousands of firefighters on site, the Palisades Fire spread over the weekend northwest of the city and now threatens the densely populated San Fernando Valley.
More than 12,000 structures – homes and various buildings – were destroyed or damaged by the fires, according to initial estimates from the authorities. More than 150,000 people were called to evacuate.
-Faced with looting in disaster or evacuated areas, a curfew between 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. is now in effect in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena sectors, the most ravaged. Authorities announced Sunday the arrest of several individuals suspected of burglaries, one of whom was wearing a firefighter costume.
Damages from the fires are expected to be in the tens of billions of dollars, and some experts already fear these fires could be the costliest on record. The state’s governor said Sunday on NBC that he wanted to launch a “Marshall Plan” to rebuild California and ease certain regulations to allow residents to quickly rebuild their homes that went up in smoke.
The authorities are also mobilizing to contain a dizzying jump in rental prices, which some evacuees are facing. On Saturday, the state attorney general recalled that this practice was “punishable by one year in prison and a $10,000 fine”.
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