Firefighters are battling two massive wildfires that have torn through parts of Los Angeles over the past week, though desert winds and a dry landscape present extremely dangerous conditions.
About 8,500 firefighters from at least seven states and two foreign countries were able to keep the fires from growing for a second day as they took a little more control of the fires’ perimeter.
A fleet of planes dropped water and retardant over the rugged hills while ground crews equipped with hand tools and hoses worked around the clock since the fires broke out on Jan. 7, with planes sometimes grounded by high winds.
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The Palisades Fire on the western edge of the city has remained steady at 95 square kilometers burned, and containment has increased to 17 percent — a measure of how well the perimeter is controlled.
The Eaton Fire in the foothills east of the city has reached 60 square kilometers with containment at 35 percent.
Southern California has lacked any notable rain since April, turning brush into a woolly substance as Santa Ana winds from the deserts blew over hilltops and rushed through canyons, sending embers ahead of the fires.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said that 11 new fires broke out in Southern California overnight and were quickly extinguished due to the early positioning of firefighters and equipment.
But three other fires are still burning, including one in neighboring Ventura and Riverside counties, which started Monday and Tuesday.
The death toll from the fires rose on Tuesday to 25 people, according to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office. The estimate of damaged or destroyed buildings has remained steady at more than 12,000, as massive rebuilding efforts continue.
Entire neighborhoods have been flattened, leaving ash and smoldering rubble. In many homes, only a chimney remains standing.
A few thousand more have been allowed to return to their homes, but 88,000 people remain under evacuation orders, with another 84,000 under evacuation warning. Large-scale displacement is unprecedented in the capital region.
Urban search and rescue teams worked from an Altadena grocery store parking lot, tracking progress on white boards and delivering tasks from inside the trailer.
“We are doing a systematic search. The wind does not have a significant impact on our search and rescue operations,” said Jorge Villanueva, regional task force commander at the California Office of Emergency Services.
His team of 50 firefighters and sheriff’s deputies conducted inspections of each home, looking for any fires and lingering hazards such as lithium-ion batteries connected to solar panels.
The Palisades fire also came close to the J. Paul Getty Museum’s priceless art collection, which includes paintings by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Monet and Degas.
In Washington, a battle broke out over emergency aid between Republicans and Democrats.
Wildfires could be ‘costliest natural disaster in US history’
Private weather forecasting firm AccuWeather estimates total damage and economic losses at $275 billion, which would make it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, surpassing Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Democrats in Congress opposed Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposal to set conditions on aid.
Johnson also said any funding for wildfire disaster assistance would have to be “paid for,” meaning the cost would have to be covered to prevent the budget deficit from increasing, possibly by cutting other programs.
This marks a departure from many previous natural disasters, and Democratic Representative Ted Lieu of California called Johnson’s stance “outrageous.”
“We should not exploit the pain and suffering of our American citizens to try to impose new political changes,” Liu said.
