Dangerous winds forecast to resume in fire-stricken Los Angeles By Reuters

By Nathan Frandino and Lisa Bertlein

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Dangerously strong winds were expected to return to Los Angeles on Monday, jeopardizing efforts to fight two massive wildfires that have leveled entire neighborhoods, destroyed thousands of buildings and killed at least two dozen people.

Dry Santa Ana winds of up to 50 to 70 mph (80 to 112 km/h) are forecast to resume Monday and persist through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service, which issued a red flag warning for an “extremely hazardous situation,” the agency’s most severe fire the warning.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire overnight and are bracing for strong winds in the coming days, officials said at a news conference Monday morning.

“We’re not clear,” Los Angeles City Fire Chief Christine Crowley said. “We shouldn’t let our guard down because we have extreme fire behavior right now.”

Officials said the state is pre-positioning fire crews in vulnerable areas, including in and around the Palisades. Eaton (NYSE:) fires, the two largest fires burning on either side of Los Angeles, with more than 8,500 firefighters assigned to those two fires.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marone said firefighters are “absolutely better prepared” for extreme winds this week, after fires quickly grew last week following similar dire warnings from forecasters.

He said there are now more crews on the ground and additional firefighting planes in the air, though he acknowledged nothing is guaranteed.

“We’re never sure we’re going to be able to catch the next fire and keep it small,” he said.

At least 24 people died and more than 150,000 residents were forced to leave their homes as a result of the fires that broke out last Tuesday. More than two dozen people are missing, authorities said.

Deputies are finding human remains every day as they search the burned areas of Altadena, where the Eaton fire first broke out, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

“It’s a very grim issue,” Luna said, adding that he expected the confirmed death toll to rise in the coming days.

The blazes have turned entire neighborhoods into smoldering ruins, with California Governor Gavin Newsom saying the fire could be the worst natural disaster in US history, with damage and economic losses estimated at $135 billion to $150 billion.

HIGH WINDS THREATEN STORM

The return of strong winds threatens the hard-won progress crews have made in containing the fires.

Over the weekend, aerial and ground firefighters managed to contain the Palisades Fire as it tore through upscale Brentwood and advanced into the populated San Fernando Valley to the north.

That fire on the west side of the metropolis has consumed 23,713 acres (96 square km), or 37 square miles, and has reached 14% containment, which represents the percentage of the fire’s perimeter that firefighters have under control.

The Eaton fire in the eastern foothills of Los Angeles has burned 14,117 acres (57 square km), or 22 square miles, but firefighters are 33% contained.

Together, the Palisades and Eaton fires burned the size of the Washington area.

To the north of the city, the Hearst fire is 89% contained, and three other fires that ravaged other parts of the county are now 100% contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said, although the areas are under control. lines may still burn.

Angelenos, even those far from the fires, have been urged to wear masks outside because of the smoke.

City police and county sheriff’s deputies have arrested dozens of people in recent days for violating curfews and evacuation orders, burglaries and shoplifting, flying unauthorized drones and, in at least one case, impersonating a firefighter.

THE CITY IS AWESOME

With strong winds expected on Monday, officials warned the entire Los Angeles County population of about 10 million to prepare to evacuate.

As of Monday morning, more than 92,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders, down from a previous high of more than 150,000, while another 89,000 were under evacuation warnings.

Active duty servicemen are ready to assist in fire fighting. FEMA Administrator Dean Criswell told MSNBC on Monday that residents who are not at risk can begin applying for federal aid and that agency workers are going to local shelters to help people get help.

Firefighters from seven states, Canada and Mexico have already converged on the Los Angeles area to assist firefighters across the state.

In Altadena, on the edge of the Eaton Fire, Tristin Perez said he never left his home in defiance of police orders to evacuate as the fire raced up the hillside.

Instead, Perez insisted on trying to save his property and the homes of his neighbors.

“Your front yard is on fire, the palm trees are lit up, it’s like a movie,” Perez told Reuters in his driveway. “I did everything I could to stop the line and save my house, help save their houses.” :