The wildfires raging in the city of Los Angeles in the United States have killed at least 24 people, officials said, as firefighters raced to put out the blazes before the return of strong winds that could fuel the flames again.
The blazes burned for a sixth straight day on Sunday, reducing whole neighbourhoods to smouldering ruins, levelling homes and leaving an apocalyptic landscape. Officials said at least 16 people remain missing.
More than 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate, while 12,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed.
“LA County had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said earlier on Sunday.
According to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, the 24 deaths included eight from the fires in the Palisades on the western side of the town. The remaining 16 died in the Eaton Fire in the foothills east of Los Angeles, the office said.
Robert Luna, the Los Angeles County sheriff, said 12 people were missing within the Eaton Fire zone and four from the Palisades Fire. He said that are no children among those reported missing.
Private forecaster AccuWeather has meanwhile estimated the damage and economic loss at $135bn to $150bn.
California Governor Gavin Newsom told media the fires were likely to be the worst natural disaster in US history “in terms of just the costs associated with it”.
To help expedite the monumental rebuilding effort ahead, the governor signed an executive order that temporarily suspended environmental regulations for destroyed homes and businesses.
On Sunday, aerial firefighters, some of them scooping water out of the Pacific Ocean, dropped water and retardant while land crews with hand tools and hoses held the line of the Palisades Fire as it encroached on the upscale Brentwood section and other populated areas of Los Angeles. That fire has consumed 23,713 acres (96 sq km) or 37 square miles and stood at 11 percent contained, a figure representing the percentage of the fire’s perimeter that firefighters have under control.
The Eaton Fire scorched another 14,117 acres (57 sq km) or 22 square miles and firefighters increased the containment to 27 percent, up from 15 percent a day earlier.
North of the city, the Hurst Fire was 89 percent contained, and three other fires that had ravaged other parts of the county were now 100 percent contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported, though areas within the containment lines may still be burning.
Firefighters got a temporary break from the weather this weekend as Santa Ana winds, which reached hurricane force earlier in the week, finally eased. The dry winds originating from the inland deserts had fanned flames and blew embers up to 2 miles (3 km) ahead of the front lines.
But, in an area that has not received any rain of note since April, the National Weather Service forecast Santa Ana winds of 50 to 70 miles per hour (80 to 112 kph) would resume on Sunday night and last through Wednesday.
Officials meanwhile warned the entire Los Angeles County population of nearly 10 million that anyone may be ordered to evacuate. By Sunday, more than 100,000 people in Los Angeles County had been ordered to evacuate – down from a previous high of more than 150,000 – while another 87,000 faced evacuation warnings.
“These winds combined with low relative humidities and low fuel moistures will keep the fire threat in all of Los Angeles County very high,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told a press conference, adding that evacuated areas may not be reopened until red flag conditions are lifted on Thursday.
Active duty military personnel are ready to support the firefighting effort, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA ) Administrator Deanne Criswell also said in a series of Sunday television interviews, adding that the agency has urged residents to begin filing for disaster relief.
