Dangerous winds lashed fire-battered Southern California on Monday, with forecasters warning of “extremely severe” danger in a region already reeling from catastrophic wildfires.
Firefighters continue to make progress in extinguishing a blaze that has devastated 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) in the Los Angeles area, after it erupted on January 7 and killed at least 27 people.
But the return of the hurricane-force winds responsible for spreading those initial fires poses the threat of greater danger.
Winds of up to 88 miles (142 kilometers) per hour were recorded in some locations, with forecasters saying they could again combine with extremely dry conditions to create the potential for more rapidly spreading fires.
“We are expecting this to continue to lead to extremely severe fire weather conditions across the region,” Ariel Cohen of the National Weather Service (NWS) told AFP.
“Any fire can grow explosively. And so this is a particularly dangerous situation.”
After facing criticism earlier this month that they were unprepared, officials said they already had engines and firefighters deployed in at-risk areas.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told reporters, “I believe we will be very, very prepared for the worst possible situation over the next few days, and then hopefully we don’t get there.”
The largest fire, the Palisades Fire, was 59 percent contained as of Monday, and the area affected by evacuation orders has now shrunk to effectively match the fire’s footprint.
The Eaton Fire, which devastated a large portion of the Altadena area, was 87 percent contained.
No ‘magic spigot’
As Los Angeles grapples with the scale of the devastation, political discord intensifies.
Donald Trump, who was sworn in as US President on Monday, has said he will visit the fire-affected areas at the end of the week.
That trip may include an awkward encounter with California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has been Trump’s target over his handling of the disaster.
Just moments after being sworn in as the 47th president, Trump again sidelined California’s Democratic leadership.
“We are seeing that fires that started weeks ago are still burning tragically without any sign of rescue,” he said.
“We can’t let this happen. Everyone is unable to do anything about it. This is going to change,” he said, adding that it was “interesting” that some wealthy people had lost their homes.
Newsom did not directly address the gift, but offered the newly installed president an open hand.
“This moment underscores the critical need for partnership, a shared commitment to the facts, and mutual respect – values that enable civil discussion, effective governance, and meaningful action,” he wrote on social media.
“I look forward to President Trump’s visit to Los Angeles and mobilizing the full weight of the federal government to help our fellow Americans recover and rebuild.”
Although the immediate cause of the fires is not yet known, scientists say humanity’s behavior is changing weather patterns, making them more unstable, which could increase the destructiveness of any fire.
Southern California has not seen any significant rainfall for nearly eight months, despite this being very close to its normal rainy season.
Officials have warned that if it rains, it could cause dangerous debris flows, spark mudflows and collapse mountains in the disaster area.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
