LA fires death toll rises to 24 as high winds expected

California weather forecasters are warning of dangerous winds that fueled infernos around Los Angeles this week, as firefighters race on the ground to make progress in controlling three wildfires.

Officials warned that after a weekend of calm winds, Santa Ana’s familiar winds will resume from Sunday night into Wednesday, with gusts up to 60mph (96km/h).

On the wind-up front, some progress has been made in stopping the spread of the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires, which are burning in the suburbs. Local firefighters are being assisted by crews from eight other states, as well as Canada and Mexico, who are continuing to arrive.

The LA County medical examiner updated the death toll Sunday to 24, after officials previously said 16 more were missing.

Sixteen of the dead were found in the Eaton fire area, while eight were found in the Palisades area.

Three shootings are still going on around Los Angeles.

The largest fire is the Palisades, which has now burned more than 23,000 acres and is 11% contained.

The Eaton fire is the second largest and has burned more than 14,000 acres. That’s 27%.

The Hurst Fire has grown to 799 acres and is nearing completion.

The wildfires are on track to become the costliest in US history.

On Sunday, independent forecaster Accuweather increased its initial estimate of total damage from the fires to between $250bn-$275bn.

Even as crews begin to extinguish the massive fire, officials have warned that incoming winds could cause “severe winds”, and the entire LA County area is under fire threat.

“Unfortunately, we’re moving back into red-hot conditions with potentially severe storms between now and Wednesday, and storms are expected on Tuesday,” Pasadena fire chief Chad Augustin told the BBC.

“As we move forward, the end is not even close,” he said.

Kristin Crowley, LA fire chief, asked residents near the evacuation center to prepare to evacuate if the order is issued, and to stay off the streets as much as possible to avoid obstructing the crews.

Alice Husum, a 67-year-old resident of Topanga Canyon, told the BBC that the new fire that started in the area overnight had been extinguished, but that she and her neighbors were “scared for Tuesday” as the storm was expected to intensify.

But Ms Husum, who stayed behind despite orders to evacuate, says the claims are “a bit better than the 100 miles that were hitting us” earlier in the week.

New fires continued Sunday, threatening residents of the San Fernando Valley and near NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

On Sunday, firefighters were able to quickly prevent the spread of a new fire in the Forest of Angeles, which surrounds an area that is at the heart of the US space program and has a high level of secret technology.

At least 29 people have been arrested for robbing people in public places. Two people were caught posing as firefighters in an attempt to rob people who escaped.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a press conference on Sunday that he had asked the National Guard to reinforce the 400 already in the area. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that an additional 1,000 members of the National Guard would be deployed.

“When I was out there in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman who looked like a fireman. And I asked him if he was okay because he was sitting down. I didn’t realize we had him in our arms,” ​​said Sheriff Luna. journalists.

“We’re turning him over to the LAPD because he was dressed as a firefighter, and he wasn’t. He was just caught burglarizing a house. That’s the issues that our deputies and the police are dealing with.”

There are now 14,000 firefighters in southern California, supported by 84 aircraft and 1,354 fire engines, said Sheriff Luna.

The number of refugees has dropped, with about 105,000 people still under evacuation orders and 87,000 under evacuation warnings.

Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), told CNN on Sunday that a major threat remains.

“I know a lot of people want to go back to the area to look at their homes, but when the wind picks up again, you don’t know which way they’re going to go,” he said.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said a limited number of evacuations were allowed over the weekend, but his officers are also barring all residents from returning.

Officials have repeatedly ordered pilots not to fly near fire stations, and are now seeking more information after a drone hit a critical aircraft.

The FBI has shared images of a small drone that on Thursday collided with a “Super Scooper” aircraft, one of the world’s largest firefighting aircraft, briefly shutting it down.

The drone tore a 3-by-6-inch (8-by-15cm) hole in the plane.

The authorities have also warned against thieves who want to take advantage of the victims of the accident, and they have also strongly warned that anyone caught cheating will be prosecuted.

Meanwhile, the feud between California Governor Newsom and President-elect Donald Trump continues.

Trump, who takes office on January 20 and was invited by the governor to come and see the damage of the fire, on Saturday blamed “incompetent” politicians for “one of the worst disasters in the history of our country”.

Newsom, a Democrat, also attacked Trump for sharing “unwarranted” misinformation about the fires.

With additional reporting from Regan Morris