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Los Angeles wildfire death toll reaches 16 as crews battle high winds to save homes and landmarks

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The death toll from wildfires sweeping the Los Angeles area has risen to 16, as crews struggle to stop the spreading fires before the potential return of strong winds that could push the flames toward some of the city’s most famous landmarks.

Five of the deaths were attributed to the Palisades Fire and 11 were attributed to the Eaton Fire, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office said in a statement Saturday evening.

The previous number of confirmed deaths before Saturday was 11, but officials said they expected that number to rise as teams with cadaver dogs carried out methodical searches in flattened neighborhoods. Authorities have set up a center where people can report missing persons.

Joseph Everett, assistant chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Western Bureau, said it was difficult to see such devastation in an area where he, his father and grandfather worked as firefighters.

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“This resonates with me deeply,” he said at a community meeting Saturday night. “Please be patient as we are up there…we are still fighting the fire up there hard.”

There were fears that winds could move the fires towards the J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles, while new evacuation warnings left more homeowners on edge.

By Saturday evening, Cal Fire reported that the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hearst fires had burned about 62 square miles (160 square kilometers), an area larger than San Francisco. The Palisades and Eaton fires were 59 square miles (about 153 square kilometers) in area.


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In a news conference posted online Saturday evening, Michael Tromm of the California Office of Emergency Services said 150,000 people in Los Angeles County had been issued evacuation orders, with more than 700 people seeking shelter in nine shelters.

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Crews from California and nine other states are part of an ongoing response that includes 1,354 fire trucks, 84 aircraft and more than 14,000 personnel, including newly arrived firefighters from Mexico, he said.

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With Cal Fire declaring the Palisades Fire 11% contained and the Eaton Fire 15% contained Saturday night, the fight is set to continue.

“Weather conditions remain critical and another round of strong winds is expected starting Monday,” Tromm said.

The struggle to save public and private areas


A fierce battle broke out Saturday in Mandeville Canyon, home of Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities not far from the Pacific coast, with rushing helicopters dumping water as the fire spread downhill. Firefighters on the ground used hoses to try to extinguish the rising flames while thick smoke covered the tree-covered hillside.

The National Weather Service warned that strong Santa Ana winds could return soon. These winds have been largely blamed for turning wildfires into infernos that have destroyed entire neighborhoods around the city, where no significant rain has fallen in more than eight months.

The fire also threatened to jump over the 405 Freeway and into densely populated areas of the Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Valley.

Historical cost

The fires that started Tuesday north of downtown Los Angeles have burned more than 12,000 buildings.

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Firefighters made progress for the first time Friday afternoon on the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena, which has burned more than 7,000 structures, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. Most evacuation orders for the area have been cancelled, officials said.

No cause has been determined for the largest fires and initial estimates suggest the wildfires could be the costliest ever seen in the country. Preliminary estimates from AccuWeather put the economic damage and losses so far at between $135 billion and $150 billion.

In an interview broadcast Sunday on NBC, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the fires could eventually become the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.

“I think it would be just in terms of the costs associated with it, in terms of size and scope,” he said.

Overflowing kindness

Volunteers flocked to donation centers, and some had to be turned away at sites including the horse race track at Santa Anita Park, where people who lost their homes were sifting through piles of donated T-shirts, blankets and other household goods.

Altadena resident Jose Luis Godinez said three homes occupied by more than a dozen members of his family were destroyed.

“Everything is gone,” he said, speaking in Spanish. “My whole family lived in those three houses, and now we have nothing.”

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Officials warn against returning

Los Angeles County Mayor Robert Luna warned residents not to venture back into destroyed homes to search the rubble for souvenirs.

“We have people driving by and trying to get in just to look. Stay away,” Luna said, urging people to adhere to the curfew.

Officials warned Saturday that the ash could contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other harmful substances.

“If you’re lifting this stuff, you’re breathing it in,” said Chris Thomas, spokesman for Palisades Fire’s Unified Incident Command, who warned that the substance is “toxic.”

Thomas said residents will be allowed to return with protective gear after damage teams assess their properties.

Rebuilding will be a challenge

The level of destruction is jarring even in a state that regularly faces massive wildfires. Those affected by the fires can apply online for immediate government assistance, said Traum of the state Office of Emergency Services.

Newsom issued an executive order Sunday aimed at speeding up the rebuilding process of devastated properties by suspending some environmental regulations and ensuring property tax assessments do not increase.

“California leads the nation in environmental stewardship. I’m not giving up on that. But the one thing I won’t give up on is delay.” “Delay is a denial of people: their lives, their traditions, their torn, torn places.”

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“We have to let people know we support them,” he said. “Don’t walk away because we want you to come back, rebuild, rebuild to higher quality building standards, more modern standards. We want to make sure that the costs associated with that are not disproportionate, especially in a middle-class community like this.”

The leadership was accused of wastefulness

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass faces a crucial test of her leadership during the city’s biggest crisis in decades, but allegations of leadership failure, political blame and investigations have begun.

Newsom on Friday ordered state officials to determine why a 117 million gallon (440 million liter) tank was out of service and some faucets ran dry.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley said city leadership had failed her department by not providing adequate funds to fight the fires. She also criticized the water shortage.

“When a firefighter approaches a hydrant, we expect there to be water,” Crowley said.



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