LOS ANGELES: Wildfires menacing Los Angeles have killed at least 10 people and devoured nearly 10,000 structures, with five fires burning into a third night, as dry desert winds fanning the flames again gathered strength.
Two massive wildfires menacing Los Angeles from the east and west devoured nearly 10,000 homes and other structures, burning into a third night on Thursday even as the fierce winds eased and gave firefighters a welcome but temporary respite.
The Palisades Fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on the city’s western flank and the Eaton Fire in the east near Pasadena already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history, consuming 34,000 acres (13,750 hectares) — or some 53 square miles — turning entire neighborhoods to ash.
Officials from three different jurisdictions reported a total of 10 people dead, though Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told a press conference he did not want to pronounce an exact number until it was safe for human remains detection teams to conduct house-to-house searches.
But based on the widespread devastation, he expected the number to grow.
“It looks like an atomic bomb dropped in these areas. I don’t expect good news, and we’re not looking forward to those numbers,” Luna said.
Earlier, he reported the Eaton Fire alone had damaged or destroyed 4,000 to 5,000 structures. Officials said the Palisades Fire destroyed another 5,300 structures.
Private forecaster AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic loss at $135 billion to $150 billion, portending an arduous recovery and soaring homeowners’ insurance costs.
“We’re already looking ahead to aggressively rebuild the city of Los Angeles,” said Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, who faced criticism from President-elect Donald Trump and other Republicans over her handling of the disaster.
President Joe Biden, who declared a major disaster on Tuesday, promised on Thursday that the federal government would reimburse 100% of the recovery for the next 180 days to pay for debris and hazard material removal, temporary shelters and first responder salaries.
“I told the governor, local officials, spare no expense to do what they need to do and contain these fires,” Biden said after meeting with senior advisers at the White House.
In all, five wildfires burned in Los Angeles County, and the skies buzzed with aircraft dropping retardant and water on the flaming hills.
One rapidly growing blaze broke out on Thursday near Calabasas, one of the wealthiest cities in the US and home to numerous celebrities and gated communities. The so-called Kenneth Fire expanded to 960 acres (388 hectares) in a matter of hours.
