Firefighters continue battling LA wildfires amid dangerous weather warning
Los Angeles, Jan 15 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Firefighters continued to work overnight to contain wildfires in greater Los Angeles, with “particularly dangerous” winds warning in effect through Wednesday.
Critical to extremely critical fire weather conditions will continue for coastal Southern California including the areas of the wildfires in Los Angeles County, said the US National Weather Service (NWS) on Tuesday.
According to NWS the “particularly dangerous” situation warning went into effect Tuesday and will last through noon Wednesday for swaths of Los Angeles and Ventura counties due to moderate to locally strong Santa Ana winds, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Considering the extremely dry state of the fuels, recent fire behaviour, and the strength of the winds, this is a particularly dangerous situation. There is a high risk for large fires, rapid fire spread, and long range spotting,” said NWS.
Fierce wildfires across the Los Angeles area have killed at least 25 people, destroyed more than 12,300 structures and scorched more than 40,600 acres.
The two largest fires — the Palisades and Eaton wildfires — were 17 per cent and 34 per cent contained respectively as of Tuesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Officials are concerned the strong winds paired with dry fuel and low humidity could result in new fire starts in Southern California or the expansion of the existing blazes.
About 88,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders Tuesday morning. Curfews are in effect for the Palisades and Eaton wildfire zones from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday that she had signed an executive order a day earlier, which is intended to help expedite the rebuilding process after the wildfires.
The order will streamline debris removal and permitting processes as well as make 1,400 units of housing immediately available for displaced residents, according to the mayor’s office.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Tuesday that plans to help displaced students and schools that have been affected by the wildfires as quickly as possible.
Over $8.4 million of disaster assistance funds has been approved to individuals and households in California, said the US Federal Emergency Management Agency.
