Firefighters in Southern California struggled to contain several major wildfires in the Los Angeles area on Monday as forecasters again warned of high winds that could lead to “explosive fire growth.”
The National Weather Service warned that a new wind threat, of greatest concern, is expected Tuesday, with sustained winds of 80 kilometers per hour and gusts of nearly 110 kilometers per hour.
High winds and dry conditions in the area, which has not seen significant rainfall in more than eight months, helped fan the blaze, which has already killed at least 24 people since it broke out a week ago And billions of dollars have been lost.
A slight respite in winds in recent days allowed firefighters to make some progress in containing the blaze with the help of water droplets and fire retardant equipment.
Of the three major fires still burning in the Los Angeles area, Cal Fire said late Sunday that the Palisades fire was 13% contained and had burned 96 square kilometers.
Officials said the eight deaths were caused by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades area.
In pictures: The scale of devastation caused by California wildfires
Sixteen deaths occurred from the Eaton Fire, located far inland in North Pasadena and Altadena, which was 27% contained and had burned about 60 square kilometers.
Another fire, the Hearst Fire in the Sylmar area, was 89% contained after burning more than three square kilometers, Cal Fire said.
The fire destroyed more than 12,000 structures in total.
About 100,000 people remained under evacuation orders late Sunday, with officials saying people would not be allowed to return to fire-risk areas while new wind warnings were still in effect.
Some schools that had canceled classes last week are resuming operations from Monday. The National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers were also set to resume home games on Monday after having games canceled due to the fire.
Local officials expressed fear that as the fires spread, they could threaten more populated areas and some of the city’s major sites, including J. The Paul Getty Museum, which houses famous artworks, and the University of California, Los Angeles. Among the top public US universities.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the wildfires could be the worst natural disaster in American history, “in terms of the scale and the scope, in terms of the costs associated with it.”
Initial estimates from AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far at between $135 billion and $150 billion. The damage is so great partly because most of the housing that has been destroyed is among the most expensive in the country.
Newsom called for an independent review of how the fires broke out, saying at times firefighters faced a shortage of water to fight the blaze as it rapidly grew out of control.
The governor said he is asking the same questions people are asking on the streets, shouting, ‘What happened? What happened to the water system?’
Newsom said he wanted to know whether the water supply was overwhelmed, “or were the 99 mph winds decisive and there was really no firepower that might have been more meaningful?”
Firefighters from California and nine other states are part of the ongoing response, which includes 1,354 fire engines, 84 aircraft and more than 14,000 personnel, including newly arrived firefighters from Mexico.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that he had asked officials to prepare for the possibility of sending 150 Ukrainian firefighters to help the effort in California.
“The situation there is extremely difficult and Ukrainians can help save American lives,” Zelensky said.
Some information for this story was provided by the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.