LA fires live: Southern California braced for ‘extremely critical fire conditions’ as life threatening winds pick up pace
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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.
![[A swimming pool sits amid charred homes and burnt cars in the rubble of the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Estates in Los Angeles.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/fa6655f960a243d8041a71ee964e3de3840086ea/0_232_4956_2974/master/4956.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The area faces a critical fire warning through Wednesday with 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 $250bn from AccuWeather.
