Several homes in the picturesque Pacific Palisades neighborhood were reduced to smoldering rubble, while in neighboring Malibu, blackened palm branches were all that remained above the debris where homes once stood located by the sea.
Firefighters are hoping for a lull in the strong winds that are fueling massive wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The authorities announced that the death toll stood at 11 and that more than 10,000 houses and other buildings were destroyed.
“To summarize the evacuations for all the fires we are facing, evacuation orders affect approximately 153,000 residents” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna.
Mr. Luna also indicated thata curfew was in place in the fire zones of Palisades andEaton and that officers patrolled evacuation areas to prevent looting.
He added that more than 57,000 structures are still at risk.
No cause has been identified for the larger fires, but the level of devastation is shocking, even in a state that has become accustomed to massive wildfires.
Dozens of blocks of the picturesque Pacific Palisades neighborhood were reduced to smoldering rubble, while in nearby Malibu, blackened palm branches were all that remained atop the debris where There used to be houses by the sea.
Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management Director Kevin McGowan apologized to citizens for erroneous alerts that were issued about the fires.
“There is a tremendous amount of frustration, anger and fear regarding the erroneous messages that have been sent through the wireless emergency alert system in Los Angeles County. I cannot express enough to how sorry I am about this experience,” Ms McGowan said.
Mayor Karen Bass also said Los Angeles is preparing for strong winds predicted for next week.
At one point during the press conference in Los Angeles, a reporter pointed out that high winds were forecast in the area next week and that people were likely to turn off alerts due to frustration with all the false alarms.
“We know the wind strengths could increase early next week and we are preparing Los Angeles, we are doing everything we can to save lives, it is our primary job to protect people’s homes and businesses and to prepare ourselves to rebuild Los Angeles in a much better way,” she said.
The fires broke out Tuesday, fueled by Santa Ana gusts that followed a period of exceptional drought.
Firefighters are currently tackling five large fires in and around Los Angeles: Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia and Kenneth. Investigations into the causes of the fires are ongoing.
Additional sources • adaptation: Serge Duchêne