Deaths in the fires that have ravaged Los Angeles-area neighborhoods over the past week have increased, reaching 24, according to an update to the official count late Sunday.
Southern California firefighters are battling to control several major wildfires in the Los Angeles area on Monday, as forecasters warn of new strong winds that could cause “explosive fire growth.”
The new wind threat, of greatest concern on Tuesday, is expected to bring sustained winds of 80 km/h and gusts of up to about 110 km/h, the National Weather Service warned.
High winds and dry conditions in an area that has not received significant rain for more than eight months helped fuel fires that have already killed at least 24 people and caused billions of dollars in damage since they started a week.
A brief respite from the winds in recent days allowed firefighters, aided by drops of water and fire retardant from the air, to make some progress in controlling the flames.
Of the three large fires still burning in the Los Angeles area, Cal Fire said Sunday night that the Palisades Fire was 13% contained and has burned 96 square kilometers.
Eight of the deaths were attributed to the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades area, officials said.
Sixteen deaths occurred in the Eaton Fire, located further inland in North Pasadena and Altadena, which was 27% contained and has burned nearly 24 square miles.
Another fire, the Hurst Fire in the Sylmar area, was 89% contained, Cal Fire said, after burning more than three square kilometers.
The fires together have destroyed more than 12,000 structures.
About 100,000 people remained under evacuation orders Sunday night, and authorities said people would not be allowed to return to fire risk areas while new wind warnings remained in effect.
Some schools that had canceled classes last week resumed operations on Monday. The National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers were also set to resume home games on Monday after canceling games due to the fires.
Local officials expressed fear that as the fires spread, they could endanger more populated areas and threaten some of the city's major landmarks, including the J. Paul Getty Museum, which houses works of art. renowned, and the University of California, Los Angeles, one of the leading public universities in the United States.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said Sunday on the show “Meet the Press” of NBC that the wildfires could be the worst natural disaster in American history, “in terms of the costs associated with them, in terms of scale and scope.”
A preliminary estimate from AccuWeather puts the damage and economic losses so far between $135 billion and $150 billion. The damage is so high in part because many of the homes that have burned to the ground are among the most expensive in the country.
Newsom called for an independent review of how the fires spread, and firefighters at times faced a shortage of water to battle the flames, which spread quickly out of control.
The governor said he is asking himself the same questions “that people in the streets are asking, shouting: 'What the hell happened?' “What happened to the water system?”
Newsom said he wants to know if the water supply was simply overwhelmed, “or if the 99 mile per hour winds were decisive and there really was no firefighting that could have been more meaningful.”
Fire crews from California and nine other states are part of the ongoing response that includes 1,354 fire trucks, 84 aircraft and more than 14,000 personnel, including firefighters recently arrived from Mexico.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that he has asked authorities to prepare for the possibility of sending 150 Ukrainian firefighters to help with efforts in California.
“The situation there is extremely difficult and Ukrainians can help Americans save lives,” Zelenskyy said.
(Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters)