A lull in winds in Los Angeles this weekend brings some respite to firefighters who continue to battle the flames, but meteorologists expect the return of more powerful squalls starting Monday.
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Winds are expected to strengthen Monday through Wednesday, opening “a new period of critical risk” for fires, meteorologist Daniel Swain warned Saturday, adding that it may not rain at all for the next six or seven days.
As thousands of firefighters continue to work day and night to control the devastating fires, President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he hopes to visit the scene after his inauguration on Monday, “probably at the end of the week.”
Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom invited the Republican, who attacked him for his handling of the fires, to visit Los Angeles and see the damage.
Dozens of people are still missing and at least 27 have died from the fires in Altadena, north of Los Angeles, and in the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood in the city’s west.
They destroyed more than 16,000 hectares, an area almost as large as the capital Washington, and led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.
Mounted police officers and dog squads inspected the disaster areas on Friday in search of victims, in charred buildings and even in certain steep areas.
“I hope they call us soon to come back [chez nous]», Confided to AFP Winston Ekpo whose house survived the flames.
Getty Images via AFP
He would like to be able to “clear the smoke, perhaps buy air purifiers and check the attic,” specifies the father who has been living in a shelter with his wife and children for ten days.
Clear the roads
Hundreds of trucks crisscross the roads of Altadena, the Pacific Palisades neighborhood and the Malibu coast to transport workers who have come to clear the roads, restore electricity and inspect water and gas leaks.
Federal authorities have launched an investigation to determine the causes of these fires, which are the subject of numerous theories.
But experts are already pointing out a few elements: two very rainy years gave rise to lush vegetation, which then dried out without precipitation for months and violent winds made the task of firefighters almost impossible.
Photo Getty Images / AFP
The Santa Ana winds, which fanned the flames at breakneck speed, are a classic of Californian autumns and winters. But this time they reached an intensity not seen since 2011, according to meteorologists, with gusts blowing up to 160 km/h.
Alex Tardy of the US Weather Service (NWS) explains that if we combine the latest episodes of Santa Ana winds with the one that is coming and the conditions on the ground, “we have never seen such a risk of fire and such dry vegetation in modern annals.
This does not necessarily mean that there will be more fires, he specifies, but if they do break out there will be “potentially a more explosive and rapid spread”.
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