US Officials Warn ‘Dangerous and Strong’ Winds to Spread Los Angeles Wildfires

The National Weather Service said the winds were due to weaken later Sunday before picking up again overnight.

Mon Jan 13 2025
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KEY POINTS

  • Strong winds feared to fuel the deadly wildfires, with 16 confirmed dead and thousands displaced.
  • The Palisades Fire is 11% contained, spanning 23,600 acres, while the Eaton Fire covers 14,000 acres with 15% containment.
  • Over 12,000 structures burned, leaving thousands homeless; residents face long queues.
  • Curfews were imposed due to fears of looting.
  • Authorities probe fire causes as Trump criticises state management.
  • Experts cite climate change and urban sprawl as contributing factors.

 

LOS ANGELES, United States: US officials warned “dangerous and strong” winds were set to push deadly wildfires further through Los Angeles residential areas Sunday as firefighters struggled to make progress against the flames.

At least 16 people have been confirmed dead from blazes that have ripped through the city, reducing whole neighbourhoods to ashes and leaving thousands without homes.

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Plumes of smoke rise from wildfires in San Bernardino County mountains as seen from Rancho Palos Verdes, California on September 10, 2024 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Wildfires fueled by soaring temperatures in the western United States have scorched thousands of acres, forcing hundreds of families to flee, US officials said September 9, 2024. —Photo by AFP

Despite massive efforts, including precision sorties from aerial crews, the Palisades Fire continued to grow, spreading east towards the priceless collections of the Getty Centre art museum and north to the densely populated San Fernando Valley.

“The winds are potentially getting dangerous and strong again,” Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told CNN.

Los Angeles, Wildfires, US weather,
A home is engulfed in flames during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles County, California on January 8, 2025. —Photo by AFP

“The biggest thing that people need to know is that this is still dangerous.”

A brief lull in the wind gave way to gusts that forecasters warned could reach up to 50 miles per hour (80 kilometres per hour) early Sunday, and feed the blazes for days to come.

Los Angeles, Wildfires, US weather,
Wildfires in Los Angeles County have led to mass evacuations, destroying homes and threatening residents including celebrities—Photo by AFP

 

The winds were due to weaken later Sunday before picking up again overnight, the National Weather Service said.

Nowhere to live

The Palisades Fire was 11 percent contained but had grown to 23,600 acres (9,500 hectares), while the Eaton Fire was at 14,000 acres and 15 percent contained.

Official figures show more than 12,000 structures burned, though Cal Fire’s Todd Hopkins said not all were houses and the number included outbuildings, trailers and sheds.

In some areas, the ferocious fire left streaks of molten metal flowing from burnt-out cars.

The sudden rush of evacuated people needing somewhere to live posed a growing problem for the city.

“I’m back on the market with tens of thousands of people,” said a man who gave his name as Brian, whose rent-controlled apartment has burned. “That doesn’t bode well.”

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A firefighting helicopter drops water as the Sunset Fire burns in the Hollywood Hills with evacuations ordered on January 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. —Photo by AFP

With incidences of looting and a nighttime curfew in place, police and National Guard mounted checkpoints to prevent people getting into the disaster zones.

Two people were arrested near Vice President Kamala Harris’s Brentwood house for violating the curfew order after police received reports of burglary.

A handwritten sign with “looters will be shot” was hung on one tree, next to the US flag outside a house in Pacific Palisades.

But the security checkpoints have left residents frustrated as they queue for up to 10 hours to try to get back in and see what, if anything, is left of their homes or check on family.

Prevented from entering an evacuation zone, Altadena resident Bobby Salman, 42, said: “I have to be there to protect my family, my wife, my kids, my mom and I cannot even go and see them.”

The queues left some people fuming about poor management, the latest gripe from a population already angry over hydrants that ran dry in the initial firefight.

City officials have put on a united front after reports of a behind-the-scenes row between the mayor and the fire chief.

But President-elect Donald Trump accused California officials of incompetence.

Wildfire
A firefighting aircraft drops the fire retardant Phos-Chek as the Palisades Fire burns amid a powerful windstorm on January 7, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images via AFP)

“This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our Country. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Teams with cadaver dogs were combing through the rubble, with several people known to be missing and fears that the death toll will grow.

Among those known to have died in the tragedy was former Australian child star Rory Sykes, who appeared in British TV show “Kiddy Kapers” in the 1990s.

Climate impact

A huge investigation by federal and local authorities was underway to determine what caused the blazes.

California Governor Gavin Newsom told Meet the Press he was also launching a “Marshall Plan” for the state as it looks to rebuild.

“We already have a team looking at reimagining L.A. 2.0,” he said.

He also stressed the immediate problem of weather conditions, saying “the challenge is the winds. We’ve got these winds coming back this evening, Sunday night. We’ve got peak winds on Monday.”

While the ignition of a wildfire can be deliberate, they are often natural, and a vital part of an environment’s life cycle.

But urban sprawl puts people more frequently in harm’s way, and the changing climate — supercharged by humanity’s unchecked use of fossil fuels — is exacerbating the conditions that give rise to destructive blazes.

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