LA fires live: Southern California braced for ‘extremely
critical fire conditions’ as life-threatening winds pick up pace
With fire weather expected to continue until at least Wednesday, officials have pre-deployed firefighters across surrounding counties
Southern California braced for ‘extremely critical fire conditions’ as life-threatening winds picked up pace
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Los Angeles wildfires. Multiple fires continue to rage in southern California nearly a week after the deadly and destructive blazes began.
Southern California is braced for “extremely critical fire conditions” as strong Santa Ana winds are forecast and are expected to cause new wildfires and set back recent progress to tackle the blazes.
The area faces a critical fire warning through Wednesday, with a warning from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection saying there is “significant risk of rapid fire spread due to life-threatening winds and dangerously low humidity.”.
A growing force of firefighters and equipment has been positioned in Los Angeles, ready to tackle any flare-ups, with water trucks in place to replenish supplies.
President Joe Biden has called on Congress to'step up’ funding for those affected. Holding a briefing with federal officials at the White House on Monday, Biden said the federal government is covering most costs associated with the fires for the next 180 days but that Congress will need to cover additional costs to rebuild Los Angeles.
Here is the latest on the evolving situation.
Three wildfires are currently burning in Los Angeles County. They are:
The Palisades fire, at 23,713 acres and 14% containment.
The Eaton fire, at 14,117 acres and 33% containment.
The Hurst fire, at 799 acres and 97% containment.
At least 24 people have died, and relatives have begun identifying their loved ones as they return to their homes or are notified by local officials. The fires have destroyed more than 12,000 structures and may be the costliest disaster in US history, according to initial estimates of damage and economic losses exceeding $250 billion from AccuWeather.
With fire weather expected to continue in the Los Angeles area through Wednesday, state and city officials have pre-deployed firefighters across LA and surrounding counties.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he believes there should be conditions on disaster aid to California, citing “state and local leaders [who] were derelict in their duties.”.
Donald Trump is in talks to visit Los Angeles to survey the damage wrought by wildfires over the past week, CNN reported. The visit could occur as early as next week, but no details have been finalized.
Altadena residents have filed three lawsuits against Southern California Edison, alleging that the utility is responsible for the Eaton fire. The lawsuits cite evidence that the fire began under a transmission tower and reference the utility’s role in other wildfires. However, no official cause for the fire has yet been determined.
California governor Gavin Newsom has called on the state’s legislature to approve $2.5 billion in additional funding to aid “response and initial recovery efforts for Los Angeles." To do so, the governor expanded the special legislative session he’d called for the state in November, designed to prepare for Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The firefighting plane that was grounded after sustaining damage from a drone has been repaired and will return to firefighting duty Tuesday, pending FAA approval, said LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.
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Three wildfires are currently burning in Los Angeles County. They are:
The Palisades fire, at 23,713 acres and 14% containment.
The Eaton fire, at 14,117 acres and 33% containment.
The Hurst fire, at 799 acres and 97% containment.
At least 24 people have died, and relatives have begun identifying their loved ones as they return to their homes or are notified by local officials. The fires have destroyed more than 12,000 structures and may be the costliest disaster in US history, according to initial estimates of damage and economic losses exceeding $250 billion from AccuWeather.
With fire weather expected to continue in the Los Angeles area through Wednesday, state and city officials have pre-deployed firefighters across LA and surrounding counties.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he believes there should be conditions on disaster aid to California, citing “state and local leaders [who] were derelict in their duties.”.
Donald Trump is in talks to visit Los Angeles to survey the damage wrought by wildfires over the past week, CNN reported. The visit could occur as early as next week, but no details have been finalized.
Altadena residents have filed three lawsuits against Southern California Edison, alleging that the utility is responsible for the Eaton fire. The lawsuits cite evidence that the fire began under a transmission tower and reference the utility’s role in other wildfires. However, no official cause for the fire has yet been determined.
California governor Gavin Newsom has called on the state’s legislature to approve $2.5 billion in additional funding to aid “response and initial recovery efforts for Los Angeles." To do so, the governor expanded the special legislative session he’d called for the state in November, designed to prepare for Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The firefighting plane that was grounded after sustaining damage from a drone has been repaired and will return to firefighting duty Tuesday, pending FAA approval, said LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.
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AccuWeather, a US commercial weather forecasting service, has estimated the fires could be the costliest ever seen in the US. It has made an early estimation that the total costs could top $250bn (€243bn, £205bn).
The reconstruction cost for commercial and residential properties inside areas with active fires could be $14.8 billion (€14.42 billion, £12.14 billion), according to real estate data tracker CoreLogic.
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