(Los Angeles) Los Angeles is not experiencing any respite: hot and powerful winds continue to blow during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday and further fan the flames which have disfigured the second largest city in the United States for a week and have caused at least 25 dead.
The US Weather Service (NWS) warned of gusts of up to 110 km/h between 3 a.m. (6 a.m. Eastern Time) and 3 p.m. (6 p.m. Eastern Time) on Wednesday.
Parts of Los Angeles County and neighboring Ventura County have been placed on “particularly dangerous situation” status.
The very low humidity and very dry vegetation can lead to “ultra-rapid expansion of the fire” in certain areas, warn meteorologists, who have also placed a large part of southern California on alert. red.
The damage is immense: more than 12,000 homes, buildings and vehicles were destroyed or damaged, and entire neighborhoods razed. Some 88,000 people are still displaced and at least 25 dead, according to a new report.
Refusing to leave the apartment complex he manages in Pacific Palisades, Jeff Ridgway told AFP he saved it from the flames by drawing buckets of water from the swimming pool to extinguish a dangerously close eucalyptus tree.
“It was war,” said this sixty-year-old. “But I was stubborn, I fought.”
PHOTO JAE C. HONG, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Pacific Palisades devastated by fires.
Fred Busche, another resident, was less fortunate. “My house burned down, I know it. I saw photos: only the chimney remains. But I need to see it with my own eyes to believe it,” he told AFP.
“Everything will be fine”
The two main fires covered 9,700 hectares in the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, and more than 5,700 in the town of Altadena, just north of Los Angeles.
An investigation to determine the causes of the fires was launched Tuesday by federal authorities, who warned, however, that it would take time.
“We know you want answers, (you) deserve it. The ATF will give you (some) answers once the investigation is complete and thorough,” said Jose Medina, representing this agency in charge of explosives and weapons in particular.
For days, teams accompanied by dogs have been searching the ruins for victims. On Monday, 1,800 homes were inspected, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. “The good news is that we didn’t find any bodies,” he said.
These fires, among the worst in California’s history, could be the costliest ever known: between $250 and $275 billion according to preliminary estimates from the private company AccuWeather.
PHOTO VALERIE MACON, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Mexican Urban Search and Rescue searches the ruins of a beachfront home for victims following the Palisades Fire in Malibu, California
Hundreds of thousands of children returned to school on Monday, but schools located in evacuated areas remain closed.
In total, thousands of firefighters are on the job. Human and material reinforcements, including dozens of tanker trucks, were sent.
They were mobilized in particular for a new outbreak which broke out late Monday, in Oxnard, 80 km from Los Angeles.
“Fine dust”
After problems fighting flames in the Pacific Palisades area due to dry or low-pressure hydrants, which notably led to criticism of fire management, Fire Chief Anthony Marrone assured Tuesday that There was indeed “water and pressure” in the Altadena sector.
PHOTO ERIC THAYER, ARCHASSOCIATED PRESS
Fires raged on January 11 in Mandeville Canyon
Target of this criticism, notably coming from the next Republican President of the United States Donald Trump, the Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom has requested “a comprehensive independent review” of Los Angeles water distribution services.
He also ordered clearance teams on Tuesday to be ready to intervene, authorities fearing that winter storms could cause mudslides.
Health services have also warned of the health risks linked to smoke and ashes generated by the fires and moved by the winds.
“The ashes are not just dirt. This is fine dust that can irritate or damage your respiratory system and other parts of your body,” warned Anish Mahajan of the county public health department. The authorities called on the population to wear a mask.
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 last week.
Enough to spread the fire at lightning speed, especially since two very rainy years had given rise to luxuriant vegetation, which then dried up over the course of eight months without precipitation.
Scientists regularly point out that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.
