Los Angeles Wildfire

Over 12,000 buildings burn — thousands lose their homes — at least 24 die in blaze in Los Angeles area Other locations where the fire has spread than San Francisco.

The fire, driven by Santa Ana winds, started last Tuesday and is predicted to keep burning through the middle of the week. According to Cal Fire, the fires in Pacific Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, and Hurst have consumed roughly 160 square kilometers of land.

While the cause of the fire remains a mystery, the preliminary tally suggests it could rank as the costliest fire in American history. According to preliminary research by AccuWeather, the economic toll may range from $150

The flames have threatened and destroyed several densely populated areas from Pacific Palisades to Altadena.

Almost 150,000 people have been displaced and more than 700 have been taking shelter at nine facilities. By Sunday, Cal Fire said that 11 percent of the fire in Pacific Palisades had been contained and 27 percent of the Eaton fire had been contained.

According to Power Outage. us, by Sunday morning, about 70,000 customers in California were without power, more than half of them in Los Angeles County. Officials said the sewer, water and electrical infrastructure throughout the area had been severely damaged.

for more details on firefighting efforts in Los Angeles:  https://www.lafd.org/

So-called Santa Ana winds have fanned the flames, and red flag warnings have been declared.

But strong Santa Ana winds could return in a matter of days, the National Weather Service warned, saying it had posted red flag warnings for extreme fire conditions through Wednesday. The winds have been held responsible for turning the wildfires into a nightmare, ravaging entire regions surrounding the city that has been mostly dry for eight months.

An exodus of thousands and homes in repose — among them celebrities Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick.

The fire has not only consumed the mansions of several celebrities and movie sets, but also a longstanding haven for Black families in Altadena who fled discriminatory housing practices in other parts of Los Angeles. These families lived in racially and economically diverse neighborhoods, many of them owning their homes.

The fire has also destroyed multiple places of worship, including a mosque, a synagogue, a Catholic parish, and several Protestant churches.

Investigators have ruled out lightning as the cause.

Lightning is the leading cause of wildfires in the U.S., but the National Fire Protection Association found no evidence of it around the Pacific Palisades area — or the Eaton fire, which is burning in Eastern Los Angeles County.

Investigators are now turning their attention to the next two most likely causes: arson and fires started by utility lines.

A lot of events have been delayed or canceled for the time being. The Critics’ Choice Awards moved Sunday’s ceremony in Santa Monica to Jan. 26.

The organization that puts on the Oscars had already expanded the voting period for Academy Award nominations this year and postponed next week’s planned announcement of nominees.
The NFL relocated the Los Angeles Rams’ wildcard playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings to Arizona because of the fire. Monday night’s game will be played on Monday night. Meanwhile, many events have been either canceled or rescheduled.

N.B.A. games will return to Los Angeles on Monday evening, when the Clippers will host the Miami Heat and the Lakers will take on the San Antonio Spurs. This will mark the first game in five days for the Clippers, who had their home game against Charlotte postponed. The NBA also postponed the Lakers’ matchup with the Hornets.

335 Schools Closed, Big City Mayor Under Fire

On Wednesday, the California Department of Education said 335 schools in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura and San Diego counties had closed, with uncertainty about schools being closed on Monday.

Meanwhile, Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles is confronting growing criticism over lapses in leadership as the city endures its most serious crisis in decades. There are emerging political blame and accusations of investigations.

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California directed state officials on Friday to look into why a reservoir with a volume of 440 million liters had been shut off and some fire hydrants had gone dry.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said the city’s leadership had failed the department by not spending enough money on firefighting and that there was not a sufficient water supply.