The wind threatens to erase the firefighters’ progress

On January 14, 2025By Littum

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Forecasters warned that fierce winds could return to the Los Angeles area Tuesday, threatening progress made to fight the deadly wildfires that have destroyed neighborhoods and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes .

Dry, hurricane-force Santa Ana winds of 45 to 70 mph are forecast through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service, which issued red flag warnings over much of southwestern California. The agency warned that the weather conditions will create a “particularly hazardous situation” for northern Los Angeles County and Ventura County areas.

The weather service said high gusts are expected between early Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, with occasional breaks. Dozens of firefighters, including additional personnel from Canada, Mexico and other nearby US states, fought the fires from the air and on the ground.

In Santa Monica, firefighters took advantage of the cooler, calmer weather late Monday to strengthen containment and attack outbreaks on the Palisades fire. While the overnight forecast had called for strengthening Santa Ana winds of the type that initially fanned the flames last week, gusts were lower and firefighters saw little significant increase in fire activity overnight.

The wildfires have destroyed or damaged more than 12,000 homes, businesses and other structures, Cal Fire said. As of Monday, over 92,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders, while another 89,000 faced evacuation warnings.

Developments:

∎ The Palisades Fire, which reduced the Pacific Palisades neighborhood to rubble, has consumed 23,713 acres and was 14% contained.

∎ The Eaton Fire, located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, has burned 14,117 acres and was 33% contained.

∎ The Hurst Fire, which started near the San Fernando Valley suburb of Sylmar, has burned 799 acres and was 97% contained.

∎ Fire crews responded to a brush fire Monday night in Ventura, California, a coastal city about 108 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The fire, called the Auto Fire, was first reported in the Santa Clara Riverbed as Santa Ana winds whipped through the region. By 11:45 p.m. local time, progress on the Auto Fire had been halted, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. As of early Tuesday, the fire was burning 56 acres with 0% containment.

At least 24 people have died in the fires, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. And about two dozen more are missing, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Monday.

Authorities use dog carcasses to conduct “grid searches” of victims, according to Luna. In parts of Altadena, Calif., where the Eaton fire first started, Luna said deputies found human remains as they continue search, rescue and recovery operations.

“It’s a very grim task… Every day we do this, we run across the remains of individual community members,” Luna said. “It’s not easy work … And I believe that the work will not only continue, but I believe that we will continue to find remains.”

Authorities said it could be Thursday before evacuees are allowed to return home, as red flag warnings are expected to last until Wednesday. Firefighters are continuing their assessments of burned areas and reported Monday night that at least 5,000 structures had been destroyed in the Palisades fire. There is still a curfew in large parts of the area.

Beverley Auerbach and her husband, who lost the home they’ve lived in since 1980, fled to safety last Monday, thinking they’d be gone just a few days. But the wind-driven firestorm burned through their Pacific Palisades neighborhood known as the Alphabets, ripping homes down to their concrete steps and brick chimneys.

Auerbach said they still haven’t seen what the area looks like in person, although a neighbor gained access to the evacuation area and recorded a video for the neighborhood WhatsApp group chat.

“We all hoped our home would be the one that the capricious winds would bypass,” Auerbach, a travel marketing consultant, said via text. “In our case, we had a clay tile roof and stucco walls with some wood trim, unlike our neighbors’ homes with lots of wood and composite shingles.” Auerbach added, “The truth is, in a fire like that, with homes close together, no one could escape, even those with wildfire protection. Still, we’re hoping against hope until someone shows you a picture or a video that solves the case.”

– Trevor Hughes

Contributors: USA TODAY; Reuters