Vast Los Angeles fire spreads into new areas near Palisades
Six simultaneous blazes that have ripped across Los Angeles County neighbourhoods since Tuesday have killed at least 11 people and damaged or destroyed 10,000 structures. The toll is expected to mount when firefighters can conduct house-to-house searches.
"The Palisades fire has got a new significant flare-up on the eastern portion and continues to northeast," LA Fire Department Captain Erik Scott told local station KTLA, according to a report on the LA Times website.
The fire, the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles, has razed whole neighbourhoods to the ground, leaving just the smouldering ruins of what had been people's homes and possessions.
The two big fires combined had consumed 14,100 hectares - 2-1/2 times the land area of Manhattan.
Some 153,000 people remained under evacuation orders and another 166,800 faced evacuation warnings with a curfew in place for all evacuation zones, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Seven neighbouring states, the federal government and Canada have rushed aid to California, bolstering aerial teams dropping water and fire retardant on the flaming hills and crews on the ground attacking fire lines with hand tools and hoses.
"It's not as gusty, so that should help firefighters," NWS meteorologist Allison Santorelli said, adding that conditions were still critical with low humidity and dry vegetation.
Cal Fire said there was a chance of strong winds again on Tuesday.
"There will continue to be a high likelihood of critical fire weather conditions through next week," it said.
Officials have declared a public health emergency due to the thick, toxic smoke.
HOMES REDUCED TO ASH
Pacific Palisades residents who ventured back to their devastated neighbourhoods on Friday were shocked to find brick chimneys looming over charred waste and burnt-out vehicles as acrid smoke lingered in the air.
"This was a house that was loved," Kelly Foster, 44, said while combing through the rubble where her house once stood.
Foster's 16-year-old daughter, Ada, said she tried to get inside but "I just became sick. I just couldn't even ...Yeah, it's hard."
In Rick McGeagh's Palisades neighbourhood, only six of 60 homes survived, and all that remained standing at his ranch house was a statue of the Virgin Mary.
On Friday morning, hundreds of people streamed into a parking lot near the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena for donated clothing, diapers and bottled water.
Denise Doss, 63, said she was anxious to return to her destroyed home in Altadena to see if anything was salvageable, but officials stopped her due to safety concerns.
"At least to say goodbye until we can rebuild. I will let God lead me," Doss said.
BILLIONS IN LOSSES
Many Altadena residents said they were worried government resources would go to wealthier areas and that insurers might short-change those who cannot afford to contest denials of fire claims.
Beyond those who lost their homes, tens of thousands remained without power, and millions of people were exposed to poorer air quality, as the fires lofted traces of metals, plastics and other synthetic materials.
Private forecaster AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic loss at US$135 billion to US$150 billion, portending an arduous recovery and soaring homeowners' insurance costs.
President Joe Biden has declared the fires a major disaster and said the US government would reimburse 100 per cent of the recovery for the next six months.
