At least eleven dead and thousands of buildings destroyed in Los Angeles, ravaged by fires fanned by violent winds.
The numerous fires raging in Los Angeles for the fourth day in a row have caused at least eleven deaths, but the wind which fans the flames began to weaken on Friday, while controversy mounts over the effectiveness of the relief efforts.
Faced with increasing looting in disaster-stricken or evacuated areas, a strict curfew, in force between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., was decreed Friday by the authorities in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena sectors, the most ravaged.
Given the extent of the damage, California Governor Gavin Newsom asked Friday “a comprehensive independent review” city water distribution services.
The Democratic official described it as “deeply disturbing” the lack of water supply and loss of pressure at hydrants in the early stages of the fires, which helped allow them to expand.
“We need answers to find out what happened”he wrote in an open letter.
At least eleven people died in these violent fires and entire sections of the second largest city in the United States were devastated: more than 10,000 buildings were destroyed and more than 14,000 hectares went up in smoke.
“It made me think of a war scene, with bombings”said President Joe Biden.
The largest fire, among five still active, has burned more than 8,000 hectares on the Malibu coast and the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, where firefighters said they were beginning to control the flames.
Among those who saw their homes destroyed was actor Mel Gibson. He told NewsNation he was devastated by the loss of his Malibu home.
The wind nevertheless weakened on Friday, favoring the action of the firefighters. However, new evacuations had to be ordered in the evening in the Palisades sector.
Still very dangerous
On Thursday afternoon, a new fire broke out north of the main home in Pacific Palisades, near the wealthy Hidden Hills neighborhood, where star Kim Kardashian lives. It has since been largely brought under control.
The situation “is still very dangerous”warned Deanne Criswell, of the federal natural disaster response agency (FEMA).
Across the Californian megacity, according to orders received – sometimes by mistake – evacuations number in the hundreds of thousands.
Soldiers were also deployed and dozens of people were arrested.
Before the decision to establish a curfew, residents acted as vigilantes and patrolled to protect what remained of their neighborhoods.
Need answers
Although it is too early to know the origin of the fires, criticism has emerged regarding the authorities’ preparation and response.
Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told Fox News affiliate KTTV that they were missing “always staffed, resourced and funded”.
Californians are being urged by authorities to save water, as some reservoirs supplying fire hydrants have been emptied by the fight against flames.
Several evacuation alerts were also sent by mistake to residents’ phones Thursday and Friday in Los Angeles. Messages which led the authorities to apologize.
The Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FAA) announced the opening of an investigation after a drone struck and damaged a tanker plane.
These violent fires could be the costliest on record: AccuWeather estimates total damages and losses at between $135 billion and $150 billion.
Donald Trump spread false information on his Truth Social network, claiming that California was running out of water because of Democratic environmental policies that would divert rainwater to protect a “useless fish”.
President Joe Biden estimated that “lots of demagogues” sought to profit from misinformation surrounding the disaster.
The hot, dry Santa Ana winds currently blowing are a classic of California autumns and winters. But this time they reached an intensity not seen since 2011, according to meteorologists.
A nightmare for firefighters: California is coming out of two very rainy years which gave rise to lush vegetation, now dried up by a glaring lack of rain for eight months.
Scientists regularly point out that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.
