California wildfires threaten 6m people as more extreme winds predicted
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Los Angeles weather officials issue rare ‘particularly dangerous situation’ warning as four blazes burn fiercely. More than 6 million people in southern California remained in danger of life-threatening wildfire on Wednesday as weather officials in Los Angeles issued fresh warnings about more extreme winds set to blast the parched region and four blazes still burned fiercely.
The deadly Palisades fire in the western suburbs of Los Angeles – the largest of the four wildfires – was still only 18% contained on Wednesday morning, more than a week after it ignited and has destroyed thousands of properties and killed residents. The Eaton fire, the next largest fire, in the Altadena area in north-eastern LA county, was only 35% contained with 14,100 acres burned. Firefighters were also struggling to put out two smaller fires, the persistent Hurst fire in north Los Angeles and the newer Auto fire, in Ventura county.
The authorities warned of a “particularly dangerous situation”. Such a warning, usually rare, has been issued three times this season as southern Californiahas been suffering through a long drought and now faces the return of hurricane-strength gusts as the seasonal Santa Ana winds blast westwards from inland.
As of Tuesday, 88,000 people remained under evacuation orders, with another 84,000 at risk of being placed under new orders should the fires spread. Officials raised the official death toll on Tuesday to 25 people – 18 from the Eaton fires and seven from the Palisades fire. That number is expected to rise as crews strive to reach some of the burnt wreckage across many square miles, with huge swaths still ablaze.
