Los Angeles Wildfires Toll Rises To 24, Many Remain Missing; Winds Likely To Intensify Blazes

Last Updated:January 13, 2025, 07:45 IST

At least 24 people have so far died in the Los Angeles wildfires, while thousands others have been displaced. The authorities have warned of worsening conditions due to powerful winds.

Vehicles driving on a freeway as the sun sets behind smoke from wildfires in Los Angeles, California (Photo: AFP)

The massive wildfires that have been ravaging Los Angeles have claimed 24 lives so far, with warnings of incoming dangerous winds that could whip the blazes up further. The fires continued to rip through the United States’ second-largest city for the sixth day, reducing whole communities to scorched rubble and leaving thousands without homes.

Massive firefighting efforts have staunched the Palisades Fire’s spread, looming toward upscale Brentwood and the densely populated San Fernando Valley.

However, conditions are set to dramatically worsen, with “extreme fire behaviour and life-threatening conditions" over the coming days.

Winds up to 70 miles (110 kilometres) per hour mean a “particularly dangerous situation (PDS)" will be declared from early Tuesday, said Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld.

These gusts could fan flames and whip up embers from existing burn zones into new areas, firefighters warned.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said they had received resources including dozens of new water trucks and firefighters from far afield and were primed to face the renewed threat.

DOZENS OTHERS MISSING, PROPERTIES BURNT

Teams with cadaver dogs were carrying out grid searches with the grim expectation that the confirmed death toll would rise. Additionally, some more arrests of looters were made, including one burglar who had dressed as a firefighter to steal from homes.

Nighttime curfews in evacuated zones have been extended, and additional Guard resources have been requested.

The Palisades Fire has now consumed 23,700 acres (9,500 hectares) and was just 11 per cent contained.

The ferocious fire also left streaks of molten metal flowing from burnt-out cars.

But containment of the 14,000-acre Eaton Fire in Altadena had improved, figures showed, with 27 per cent of its perimeter controlled.

The sudden rush of people needing somewhere to live has posed a growing problem for the city, with reports of illegal price gouging from opportunistic landlords, news agency AFP reported.

However, California Governor Gavin Newsom vowed the city would rebuild, saying there would be a “Marshall Plan" — a reference to the US support that put Europe back on its feet after World War II.

“We already have a team looking at reimagining LA 2.0," he said.

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