“We will continue to use all the means at our disposal to fight the fires,” President Joe Biden pledged at midday. These hot and dry winds predicted should have “a force close to that of a hurricane”, compared the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass.
Besieged by flames since last Tuesday, the second city in the United States is counting its dead day after day: the toll increased on Sunday to 24 people dead, according to local authorities.
The efforts deployed by thousands of firefighters, including those from neighboring Mexico, nevertheless made it possible to partially contain the two main fires in recent days. And the firefighters on site have received human and material reinforcements, including dozens of tank trucks, and are ready to deal with the situation, assured several of their officials.
“Tens of billions of dollars” needed for reconstruction
More than 12,000 homes, buildings and vehicles have been destroyed or damaged by the fires, which could be the costliest ever known, according to provisional estimates.
-“It will cost tens of billions of dollars to restore Los Angeles to the state it was,” Joe Biden estimated Monday. California Governor Gavin Newsom has already requested that $2.5 billion be approved for disaster response.
Hundreds of thousands of children returned to school on Monday, authorities announced. However, the affected schools and those in evacuated areas remained closed. More than 90,000 people remain affected by an evacuation order. The influx of evacuees to be housed is another challenge for the Californian city, and there are reports of opportunistic landlords raising their rent.
Faced with looting, a nighttime curfew is in force in the most ravaged areas. Local authorities announced Monday the indictment of nine people suspected of looting.
