Los Angeles: As firefighters continue to battle devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area, winds are expected to intensify in the coming days, potentially further complicating rescue efforts.
According to the local officials, gusty winds and persistently dry weather are increasing extreme fire threats in the region.
Northeast wind gusts surpassed 50 miles (about 80 km) per hour on Sunday, and the strong Santa Ana winds are also forecast to pick up in the coming days.
These winds, combined with low humidity and extremely dry vegetation, will keep the fire threat in Los Angeles County at a “very high” level, said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.
Three active wildfires are still ravaging Los Angeles County, scorching nearly 40,300 acres (about 163 square km), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).
The death toll from the fires has risen to 24 as of Sunday, with eight resulting from the Palisades fire and 16 from the Eaton fire.
The two largest fires have been 11 per cent and 27 per cent contained, respectively, according to CAL FIRE, Xinhua news agency reported.
More than 12,300 structures have been destroyed, and over 100,000 people have been evacuated from multiple disaster zones.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has deployed an additional 1,000 members of the California National Guard to Los Angeles on Sunday, bringing the total number of CalGuard service members in the region to about 2,500, according to the governor’s office.
CalGuard personnel are supporting wildfire suppression efforts, stationed at traffic control points and providing protection in some burn zones.
At least 29 people have been arrested, many for looting, since the wildfires broke out in Los Angeles last week, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
A night-time curfew between 6 pm and 6 am is in place across the disaster zones around Pacific Palisades and Altadena, areas worst hit by the fires.
(IANS)
