WPBN: Walls of flames, whipped by unrelenting winds, continue to burn homes in Los Angeles, leaving 11 residents reported dead and a trail of destruction in their wake. This is the fourth day in a row that these flames have been consuming neighborhoods.
As the authorities continue to concentrate on limiting the blazes and searching among the debris of at least 10,000 destroyed structures, the horrific wildfires that are destroying Southern California continue to be exceedingly unpredictable on Friday.
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, moved the National Guard into the region on Thursday in order to provide assistance to law enforcement organizations. The overall number of persons working on the ground alongside local and federal agencies has now reached 8,000 as a result of this development.
“Thanks to the incredible work of our first responders and emergency personnel, we’re throwing everything at our disposal – including our National Guard servicemembers – to protect communities in the days to come,” Newsom stated. “And to those who would seek to take advantage of evacuated communities, let me be clear: looting will not be tolerated.”
The majority of the deaths and destruction that occurred were caused by the Palisades and Eaton fires, which are the two largest of the five fires that are now raging.
The Palisades Fire burnt more than 21,000 acres, and the Eaton Fire was estimated to have destroyed approximately 14,000 acres. Both fires were under a significant amount of containment, according to the officers in charge of firefighting.
As a result of the fire conditions and safety concerns, the Department of Medical Examiner for the County of Los Angeles has stated that the identification of those who have passed away could take several weeks.
This is because the personnel is unable to respond to all of the places where deaths have occurred.
“Please also keep in mind, traditional means of identification such as fingerprinting and visual identification may not be available and will add more time for naming these decedents,” according to the department.
In a statement, the FBI stated that while it is not involved in the investigation or the retrieval of the missing, it is prepared to help if asked.
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Aerial firefighting resources were halted in the early hours due to strong Santa Ana winds, which made it unsafe for planes to dump retardant on the fire. The destructive blaze that has overtaken firefighting efforts was caused by this as well as drought-parched conditions.
Although he compared the catastrophe to an atomic bomb blast, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna promised that the town would find a way to bounce back.
These flames have a startling economic cost. The catastrophe is among the most expensive occurrences in American history, with damage estimates as high as $52 billion.
The fires damaged or destroyed a high school and at least two primary schools, according to the Los Angeles Unified School District. The remainder of the week will see the closure of all offices and schools, and they said they will keep monitoring the situation over the next days to see if online instruction can resume the following week
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Kenneth Fire: A fresh fire breaks out
As a rapidly spreading wildfire known as the Kenneth Fire blazed through the area Thursday afternoon, people in the Van Owen, City Border, and Burbank districts were ordered to evacuate.
As of yet, neither residences nor businesses have sustained any structural damage as a result of the almost 1,000-acre fire. Firefighters from other significant fire areas have been moved to help with containment operations, but the situation is still dire.
The Los Angeles Police Department reports that a man was briefly arrested in connection with the incident and that the fire is being investigated as arson.
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