Fires threaten more neighborhoods as LA braces for strong winds
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New fires in Los Angeles have forced evacuation orders in the upscale Brentwood and Bel Air neighborhoods as the region braces for strong winds that could cause even more problems for emergency crews battling multiple fires across the county.
The death toll from the fires rose to 11 as the crisis entered its fifth day. The Palisades fire that broke out Tuesday morning has burned 22,000 acres and is still only 11 percent contained, officials said.
The fires are believed to be the most devastating in LA history.
Helicopters on Saturday dropped water over Mandeville Canyon, an exclusive area where actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger lives.
The evacuation orders in Brentwood raised concerns about landmarks such as the Getty Center, which houses an art collection including works by Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Monet.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said the Palisades fires are “slowly being contained” and about 11 percent are under control. But she warned that the area was “most vulnerable” to the dry, strong Santa Ana winds that were expected to return Saturday afternoon. She urged residents not to try to “wait out the fires” and to evacuate immediately.
The National Weather Service warned that the latest wave of gusty winds would also affect the coastal canyons of Topanga and Malibu. Additional “wind events” that could reach 60 to 70 miles per hour were also predicted between Monday night and Wednesday.
Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are trying to deflect criticism of the firefighting effort. Firefighters in the Pacific Palisades were frustrated this week when they found fire hydrants lacking water – a major problem at a time of high winds that grounded the helicopters and planes used to drop water on the flames. The city’s reserve tanks were quickly depleted as firefighters on the ground battled the fire without air support.
Newsom said Friday he had ordered an investigation into the causes of the water supply problems. Newsom called the problems “deeply concerning,” adding that they “likely impacted efforts to protect some homes and evacuation corridors.”
The city’s Water and Power Department issued a statement saying any claims that the fire hydrants broke before the fires were “misleading and false.”
Water pressure fell due to an “unprecedented and extreme demand for water to fight the wildfire without air support,” the LA Department of Water and Power said in a statement.
Firefighters from other US states and Mexico have come to LA to help the more than 7,500 rescue workers from California. The National Guard was also deployed to the Palisades to protect the area from looters.
The city has imposed a 12-hour curfew for areas under evacuation orders starting at 6 p.m. “Not only do we have to protect ourselves from the fire, we also have to make sure that no one goes up there and tries to loot,” Bass said. So far, around 20 looters have been arrested.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said it will take the lead in investigating the cause of the Pacific Palisades fire. The federal agency said it had fire investigators on scene.
Firefighters managed to extinguish the Sunset fire, which threatened the Hollywood Hills and a number of landmarks, including the Hollywood sign. They have also extinguished the Lidia Fire north of Los Angeles, while two others are said to be about 80 percent contained Cal Fire.
