A firefighter from California’s state fire agency on a background of devastating flames that are raging across California. | X (@CAL_FIRE)
Los Angeles: The death toll in the wildfires which wreaked havoc in California’s Los Angeles rose to 24 on Sunday. Meanwhile, several people were still missing. Strong winds are expected to return which could make things worse in the fire affected areas. Next few days are likely to be the most dangerous as the National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions through Wednesday, reported The Associated Press.
There were around seven fires in Los Angeles. According to reports, 16 people died in the Eaton fire, while eight lost their lives in the Palisades blaze in Los Angeles. However, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner has yet to confirm the figure. Among the deceased, 10 are yet to be identified.
Latest Updates:
– About 1,50,000 people in Los Angeles County remained under evacuation orders, reported the news agency. Meanwhile, over 700 residents have reportedly taken refuge in nine shelters.
– As of Sunday, Cal Fire reported the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hurst fires had consumed more than 160 square kilometres. Apart from California, firefighters from nine other US states are involved in the rescue operations. Over 1,300 fire engines, 84 aircraft and more than 14,000 personnel are part of the operations to douse the blazes. Firefighters have also arrived from Mexico. Apart from firefighters, hundreds of inmates from California’s prison system also helped with firefighting efforts.
The Kenneth Fire, which broke out near West Hills in the San Fernando Valley, was contained, while the Hurst Fire was 89 per cent contained.
There are still active fires in the Palisades.
Nearly 70,000 customers were without power across California as of Sunday morning, more than half of them in Los Angeles County.
The California Department of Education released a statement Wednesday saying 335 schools from Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, and San Diego counties were closed.
The US state has suffered the damage and economic losses so far between USD 135 billion and USD 150 billion. California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on Sunday with the aim to at fast-track the rebuilding of destroyed property by suspending some environmental regulations.
“Don’t walk away because we want you to come back, rebuild, and rebuild with higher quality building standards, more modern standards. We want to make sure that the associated costs with that are not disproportionate, especially in a middle-class community like this,” Newsom said as quoted by The Associated Press.
Newsom on Friday ordered state officials to determine why a 440 million-litre reservoir was out of service and some hydrants had run dry.
As per the White House, till Sunday more than 24,000 people have registered for federal assistance made available by President Joe Biden’s major disaster declaration.
(With inputs from PTI)
