At least 24 people have now been confirmed killed and thousands of structures destroyed as Wildfires that have ignited across the Los Angeles area continue to leave a trail of destructions.
In an update Sunday evening, the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner was quoted as saying that a total of 24 people have died due to the wildfires. The cases remain under investigation by the department, which noted that only 10 have been confirmed as human remains.
Efforts to gain an upper hand against the deadly infernos continued on Sunday as ominous new wind warnings as flames threatened additional Southern California communities. Aircraft unloaded water and fire retardant on hills where the Palisades Fire — the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles — has scorched over 23,000 acres, destroying more homes, businesses, and numerous landmarks.
The expansion of the Palisades Fire, which was 13% contained, to the north and east spurred officials to issue evacuation orders and warnings to the west of the 405 freeway as the blaze put parts of Encino and Brentwood in peril.
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Officials acknowledged that progress had been made but warned resurging winds could complicate efforts and enhance the risk level. Santa Ana winds that have fueled the blazes for the past week were picking up Sunday morning in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, then were expected to weaken in the afternoon before strengthening Sunday night through Wednesday, with the worst of it occurring on Tuesday.
North-northeast wind gusts between 35 to 55 mph were possible, according to Rich Thompson, an incident meteorologist with the National Weather Service. A red flag warning is in effect until Wednesday and Thompson warned that in addition to the strong winds, low humidity and dry vegetation will contribute to very critical fire conditions.
“We’re not out of the woods yet. We have some very significant fire weather ahead of us,” Nancy Ward, director of the California Office of Emergency Services, said during a news conference Sunday afternoon. “We’ve prepositioned additional engines, fire crews, helicopters, bulldozers, water tenders across all of Southern California … all poised to assist and support the additional fire threat.”
Story was adapted from USA Today.
