LA firefighters make progress as winds ease

Californians investigate fire blame as curfew enforced

FE Team | Published: January 11, 2025 21:31:39

LOS ANGELES, Jan 11 (Reuters/AFP): Firefighters finally started gaining control over two major wildfires on the eastern and western flanks of Los Angeles on Friday as fierce winds that supercharged the fires for days finally eased.
Six simultaneous wildfires have devastated Los Angeles County neighbourhoods since Tuesday, killed at least 11 people and damaged or destroyed 10,000 structures. Those totals are expected to grow once it is safe enough for firefighters to conduct house-to-house searches.
With thousands of people suddenly homeless and the thickening smoke leading US officials to declare a public health emergency, firefighters reported progress arresting the Palisades Fire on the western edge of the city and the Eaton Fire in the foothills east of the sprawling metropolis.
After burning out of control for days, despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters attacking the blazes from the air and on the ground, the Palisades Fire was 8% contained and the Eaton Fire 3%. Cal Fire had listed containment levels of both fires at 0% until Friday.
Even so, the two big fires combined had consumed 35,000 acres (14,100 hectares) - or 54 square miles, 2-1/2 times the land area of Manhattan.
Some 153,000 people remained under evacuation orders and another 166,800 faced evacuation warnings, with a curfew in place for all evacuation zones, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Seven neighbouring states, the federal government and Canada have rushed aid to California, bolstering aerial teams dropping water and fire retardant on the flaming hills and crews on the ground attacking fire lines with hand tools and hoses.
"Thanks to the increased number of resources assigned, the region is in a much better posture than we were earlier this week," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told a press conference.
Conditions in the Los Angeles area will improve through the weekend, with sustained winds slowing to about 20 mph (32 kph), gusting between 35 mph and 50 mph, according to the National Weather Service, a respite from recent wind gusts of 80 mph.
Meanwhile, Californians on Friday demanded to know who is at fault for the vast devastation caused by the raging Los Angeles wildfires, as a strict curfew went into force to prevent looting and lawlessness.
At least 11 people died as flames ripped through neighborhoods and razed thousands of homes in a disaster that US President Joe Biden likened to a "war scene."
While Angelenos grapple with the heart-rending ruin, anger has risen over officials' preparedness and response, particularly for a series of false evacuation alarms and after hydrants ran dry as firefighters battled the initial blazes.
Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered a "full independent review" of the city's utilities, describing the lack of water supplies during the initial fires as "deeply troubling."
"We need answers to how that happened," he wrote in an open letter. Residents like Nicole Perri, whose home in the upscale Pacific Palisades burnt down, told AFP that officials "completely let us down." "I don't think the officials were prepared at all," said James Brown, a 65-year-old retired lawyer across the city in Altadena.