Winds were expected to ease around Los Angeles on Friday, bolstering a massive effort to contain five major fires around the US’s second-largest city.
Fires destroyed thousands of homes in neighborhoods in one of the worst disasters ever to hit California, killing at least ten people, with an estimated bill that could reach $150 billion.
As the scale of the damage came into focus, people began to grapple with the heart-wrenching devastation.
“I lost everything. My house burned down and I lost everything,” Hester Calul, who arrived at a shelter after fleeing her Altadena home, told AFP.
As fears of looting and crime increased, California Governor Gavin Newsom deployed the National Guard to reinforce law enforcement and troops were on the streets, with Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna also imposing a nighttime curfew in some areas.
“This curfew will be strictly enforced and steps are being taken to enhance public safety, protect property and prevent any theft or looting in the area that has been vacated by residents,” he said.
Luna said anyone who violates the rules could face jail, stressing that “we’re not messing with this.”
California’s fire agency reported that five separate fires have burned more than 35,000 acres (14,000 hectares) so far.
‘Death and Destruction’
The largest blaze has engulfed more than 20,000 acres in the Pacific Palisades area, where firefighters said they are beginning to bring the blaze under control.
As of Friday morning, eight percent of its circumference had been contained – meaning it cannot spread further in that direction.
The Eaton Fire in the Altadena area is three percent contained, having scorched about 14,000 acres and threatening key infrastructure, including communications towers at Mount Wilson.
A third fire that broke out Thursday afternoon near the wealthy Hidden Hills enclave, home to celebrities such as Calabasas and Kim Kardashian, heightened the sense of siege.
“You just feel surrounded,” one woman told a local broadcaster.
But firefighters said Friday that after a massive response to the blaze, which included slow drops of heavy water drops from planes and helicopters, the blaze was 35 percent contained.
Some people evacuated from their homes began returning to find scenes of devastation.
Kalen Astur, a 36-year-old paralegal, said her mother’s home was spared from the horrific and chaotic destruction. But this was not the case in many other houses.
“The scene now is one of death and destruction,” he told AFP. “I don’t know if anyone can come back for a while.”
An AFP flight over Pacific Palisades and Malibu revealed mile after mile of devastation.
‘Heartbroken’
“This is madness… they all went home,” said helicopter pilot Albert Azzouz.
On highly coveted Malibu beach lots, the skeletal frames of buildings indicated the power of the fire, with many multimillion-dollar mansions disappearing entirely.
Socialite and hotel heiress Paris Hilton was among those who lost their homes.
“Heartbroken beyond words,” she wrote on Instagram.
“Sitting with my family, watching the news, and watching our house burn down in Malibu on live TV is something no one should have to experience.
“This home was where we made so many precious memories.”
The fire may be the costliest fire ever recorded, with AccuWeather estimating total damage and loss at between $135 billion and $150 billion.
In addition to the immediate carnage, life for millions of people in the region was disrupted: schools closed, thousands were left without power and major events were canceled or, like the NFL playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings. In case, go elsewhere.
National Weather Center meteorologist Mike Wofford told AFP that winds would ease on Friday and Saturday, giving firefighters a crucial opportunity.
“We’re seeing a slight decrease now, but more decreases this afternoon, and then tomorrow, with not much wind until the end of the day,” he said.
“Definitely, good news,” he said, but cautioned that it will remain dry and winds are expected to return.
Wildfires occur naturally, but scientists say human-caused climate change is altering the weather and changing fire dynamics.
Two wet years in Southern California have given way to very dry years, leaving substantial amounts of fuel dry and burnable.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
