The Santa Ana winds, which fanned the wildfires in Los Angeles over the last week reducing whole neighbourhoods to smouldering ruins, are expected to intensify on Monday after a brief respite. The forecast has pushed firefighters to race against time to contain burned for the sixth straight day on Sunday.
The National Weather Service forecast predicts that the dry winds will pick up again from Sunday night until Wednesday, reaching speeds of up to 96km/h.
Officials have warned that the condition may require more evacuation. "Unfortunately, we're going right back into red flag conditions with some potential disastrous wind conditions between now and Wednesday, with the peak winds expected to be on Tuesday," Pasadena fire chief Chad Augustin told the BBC. "While we're making some progress, the end is not even close yet," he said.
Evacuation orders are in effect for 105,000 L.A. residents while 87,000 are in evacuation warning zones, which means they may need to leave at a moment’s notice.
However, some progress has been made so far in stopping the Palisades and Eaton fires. While the Palisades fire stood at 11% contained (a figure representing the percentage of the fire's perimeter that firefighters have under control), the firefighters increased the containment of the Eaton Fire to 27%, up from 15% a day earlier. The Hurst Fire was 89% contained, and three other fires that had ravaged other parts of the county were now 100% contained, according to Reuters.
Deaths and losses
According to private forecaster Accuweather, the preliminary estimate of financial losses from the blazes account to between $250bn-$275bn. California Governor Gavin Newsom said could be the most devastating natural disaster in U.S. history.
So far, at least 24 people died as the winds fanned the wildfire sweeping it through 40,000 acres in the greater Los Angeles area, destroying entire communities and more than 12,300 structures.
However, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, which notes that the deaths "are still under investigation by the department" and that it "cannot confirm human remains until after the DME processes them at our facility." Ten of the dead are listed as yet unidentified, the office said in a statement.
Authorities are ramping up efforts to speed up rebuilding efforts with the Governor signing an executive order on Sunday temporarily suspending environmental regulations for destroyed homes and businesses.
