 "Los Angeles braces for new round of ‘strong winds’ as wildfires rage on")
Wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles on Sunday confronted the return of dangerous winds, as officials said that firefighters were ready to combat any new blazes whipped up by furious gusts.
At least 16 people have been confirmed dead as wildfires have ravaged the city for five days, leaving entire communities destroyed and thousands displaced. Despite extensive efforts, including targeted aerial operations, the largest fire continued its spread toward the upscale Brentwood area and the heavily populated San Fernando Valley.
Renewed winds up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour will keep the fire threat “critical” for days, and could fan flames and whip up embers from existing burn zones into new areas, firefighters warned Sunday.
Los Angeles County Fire Department chief Anthony Marrone said his department had received resources including dozens of new water trucks and firefighters from far afield, and was primed to face the renewed threat.
Six simultaneous blazes that have ripped across the second-largest U.S. city since Tuesday had killed at least 14 people as of Sunday morning. At least 16 people are estimated to be missing.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said he expected the death toll to rise. “I’ve got search and rescue teams out. We’ve got cadaver dogs out and there’s likely to be a lot more,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press” program.
Newsom said the fires are likely to be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history “in terms of just the costs associated with it.”
Active duty military personnel are ready to support the firefighting effort, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a series of Sunday television interviews, adding the agency has urged residents to begin filing for disaster relief.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“We have the funding to support this response, to support this recovery,” she told ABC’s “This Week” program.
Fire officials said the blazes have damaged or destroyed 12,000 structures. The flames have reduced whole neighborhoods to smoldering ruins, destroying the homes of the rich and famous and ordinary folk alike and leaving an apocalyptic landscape.
Over the past 24 hours, the Palisades Fire spread over an additional 1,000 acres (400 hectares), consuming more homes, officials reported.
Cal Fire official Todd Hopkins said that while 11% of the Palisades Fire was now contained, it has burned more than 22,000 acres.
With inputs from agencies.
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