‘I lost everything:’ Fire crews battle ‘unprecedented’ Los Angeles blazes

Officials hope improved wind conditions will allow firefighters to contain wildfires that have devastated the US city.

A pause in the strong winds fuelling deadly wildfires in and around Los Angeles has provided a chance for crews to make progress in their fight against the blazes, which have devastated several areas across the United States’s second-largest city.

Five separate fires had burned more than 14,000 hectares (35,000 acres) by Friday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.

Officials say the two largest — the Palisades and Eaton fires — already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history.

“We are doing everything we can to bring the situation under control, and success has been reported,” the city’s mayor, Karen Bass, said during a news conference.

“We know that we’re going to have a possible increase in the force of the winds at the beginning of next week, and getting Los Angeles prepared — doing everything we can to save lives — that is our number one job.”

On Friday morning, the Palisades Fire in the coastal Pacific Palisades neighbourhood was 8 percent contained, while the containment of the Eaton Fire in the community of Altadena was at 3 percent, according to Cal Fire.

“It’s not as gusty, so that should help firefighters hopefully,” National Weather Service meteorologist Allison Santorelli said of the forecast, adding that fire conditions were still critical with low humidity and dry vegetation.

But any ease-up in the wind patterns is expected to allow firefighters on the ground to get crucial support, with aircraft able to drop water and fire retardant on the flaming hills. “There’s a bit of good news, if there can be,” Santorelli said.

Thousands of Los Angeles residents have been forced to flee their homes after the fast-moving fires broke out earlier this week.

At least 10 people have been killed and more than 10,000 structures destroyed across the city, according to official tallies.

“The scope, the scale and the erratic movements of these fires is truly unprecedented,” US President Joe Biden told reporters on Friday in advance of a briefing with federal and state officials about the wildfires.

Amid fears of looting and crime, California Governor Gavin Newsom deployed the National Guard to bolster law enforcement and soldiers on the streets. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna also imposed a nighttime curfew in some areas.

“This curfew will be strictly enforced and is being taken to enhance public safety, protect property and prevent any burglaries or looting in the area that the residents have evacuated,” Luna said.

About 20 people have been arrested for looting so far, the Sheriff’s Department said.

Reporting from the Pacific Palisades on Friday morning, Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds said air quality in the area remains extremely poor as the fires continue to burn.

“There’s ash and dust dropping around us like a light snowfall,” he said.

But Reynolds said the good news is that firefighting crews have been reinforced with more manpower and supplies to help push back the flames amid the improved wind conditions.

“The troops have arrived. There’s a lot more firefighting personnel on the scene right now,” he said.

Meanwhile, as the scale of the damage has begun to come into focus, residents have been grappling with scenes of devastation.

In the Pacific Palisades, brick chimneys loomed over charred waste and burned-out vehicles.

“I can’t describe it,” Kelly Foster, a 44-year-old psychiatrist, said as she combed through the ashy rubble where her home once stood while smoke rose from neighbouring homes and planes dropped water nearby. “I have no words.”

Hester Callul, who reached a shelter after fleeing her Altadena home, also said her home burned down. “I lost everything,” she told the AFP news agency.

Source

:

Al Jazeera and news agencies