Los Angeles wildfires continue to capture attention as over 90,000 people remain affected by evacuation orders and the death toll has risen to at least 24. Firefighters are facing challenging weather conditions as the Santa Ana winds are forecasted to return to the area, posing a greater challenge to firefighting efforts.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna announced on Monday, January 13, that the number of people affected by evacuation orders and warnings has slightly decreased. Evacuation orders cover 92,000 individuals, while evacuation warnings affect around 89,000 people. Luna mentioned that the decrease in these numbers is a positive development.
However, officials remain cautious, indicating that additional evacuations may be necessary when strong winds return later this week.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone expressed uncertainty about their ability to contain every new fire, emphasizing the importance for residents to be prepared to evacuate immediately upon receiving orders to do so.
While residents may be eager to return to their homes, Luna stressed that it is currently neither safe nor advisable to do so.
According to information from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, as of Monday, the Palisades Fire has consumed 23,713 acres of land with a containment rate of 14%; the Eaton Fire has burned over 14,000 acres, with at least one-third under control; and the Hurst Fire has scorched 800 acres, with 95% containment.
There are over 5,200 firefighters engaged in battling the Palisades Fire, with more than 3,000 firefighters working to extinguish the Eaton Fire.
Poweroutage.us reports that as of the latest data, 76,426 customers in California are impacted by power outages, with Southern California Edison cutting power to 52,231 users in Southern California.
Pedro Pizarro, the CEO of Edison International, informed “Good Morning America” that approximately 450,000 customers have been warned of potential power shutoffs to prevent utility lines from sparking additional fires.
Dangerous high winds are expected to return to the Los Angeles area on Monday, jeopardizing the progress made by firefighters in containing the blazes.
The National Weather Service has issued a “red flag warning,” indicating critical fire weather conditions due to the dry Santa Ana winds expected to persist until Wednesday, with wind speeds reaching 50 to 70 mph. The “red flag warning” is the most severe fire alert issued by the weather service.
Firefighters are hoping to utilize a range of aerial resources to combat the wildfires raging in Southern California. However, with the increasing strength of the winds on Monday, using aircraft for firefighting operations becomes more challenging.
Chief Marrone mentioned that despite having more firefighting aircraft available for assistance, they may be grounded if the winds become too strong. When this occurred last week, the fires spread rapidly.
He emphasized, “This is not just for the safety of the helicopters, but also as the winds increase, the effectiveness of water drops or retardant may be compromised.” Once airborne firefighting resources are no longer safe or effective, they must be grounded.
Marrone stated that a significant number of firefighting resources will continue to be utilized for ground operations.
“You see our firefighters making stands in Eaton Canyon and Altadena where winds were at 100 mph,” Marrone said.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder noted on Monday that over the past weekend, US military aircraft had dropped more than 16,000 gallons of fire retardant on the wildfires.
“Eight C-130 Hercules aircraft equipped with Modular Airborne FireFighting Systems (MAFFS) are currently stationed at the Air National Guard base on the Channel Islands to support aerial firefighting efforts,” Ryder stated. “Over the weekend, six MAFFS missions dropped over 16,000 gallons of fire retardant in the fire areas, with more MAFFS missions expected today.”
Ryder revealed that over 1,800 California National Guard personnel have been deployed to assist in firefighting efforts.
(This article references reports from CNN and the Associated Press)