Los Angeles and the rest of Southern California face a second week of fierce winds that are turning wildfires into blowtorches, putting lives at risk and destroying homes, business and cultural landmarks.
Extreme fire conditions are forecast across 2,267 square miles (5,872 square kilometers) around Los Angeles Monday and Tuesday as winds rise again, whipping flames with tropical-storm-strength gusts, the U.S. Storm Prediction Center said. An even larger area of about 9 million people is under critical conditions until Wednesday.
High winds will limit opportunities for firefighters to make progress against the fast-moving Palisades and Eaton fires from the ground and air. The blazes have killed at least 24 people and burned down more than 12,000 buildings across over 40,000 acres in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods of Los Angeles.
“There is no chance of rain and the winds are picking up. It is a really tough situation,” said Bob Oravec, a senior branch forecaster with the U.S. Weather Prediction Center. “Individual days may vary but the fire weather dangers are going to remain high.”
The fires are the third- and fourth-most destructive in state history and are the worst natural disaster to hit Los Angeles since the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which killed 57 people. The blazes are expected to rank among the costliest in modern U.S. history. As of early Monday, the Eaton fire was 27% contained and the Palisades blaze was 13% contained.
AccuWeather Inc. has raised its estimate for damages and economic losses to between $250 billion and $275 billion, up from $135 billion to $150 billion. The commercial forecaster takes into account direct and secondary losses, such as lost wages and supply-chain disruptions.
The debris and scarred landscape also set the stage for a future disaster, since any rain that falls in the area threatens to trigger dangerous mudslides. Even as firefighters are battling the blazes, Governor Gavin Newsom has called for a plan to clear the area so that rebuilding can begin.
In the short term there is no chance for rain to either cause floods or help firefighters stall the blazes’ spread, Oravec said. Some long-range models show rain by Jan. 26, but confidence isn’t high for that outcome.
Most schools will reopen on Monday, with the exception of seven that remain in mandatory evacuation zones, said Alberto M. Carvalho, superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District. Of those seven, two will have to be completely rebuilt: Palisades Charter Elementary and Marquez Charter Elementary.
Edison International’s Southern California Edison utility is prepared to shut off electricity if needed during the next bout of heavy winds, said Cody Tubbs, public affairs director. About 430,000 customers are at risk of planned outages, according to the company’s website. The utility has been asked by attorneys representing insurance companies to preserve evidence in connection with the deadly Eaton fire.
As of early Monday morning, more than 52,000 California utility customers were without power in areas affected by the fires, according to website PowerOutage.us.
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With assistance from Lauren Rosenthal, Mary Hui, Laura Curtis, Janine Phakdeetham and Joe Wertz.
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