Weather experts are again warning of high altitudes in California

Weather experts expect stronger gusts in Los Angeles again this weekend. That could fan the fire even further. Meanwhile, the number of deaths in the catastrophic fires rose to eleven. However, the authorities fear that even more deaths will be known as soon as investigators can safely reach the areas, some of which have been completely devastated.

Three fires remained out of control, including the particularly violent “Palisades Fire” in the Pacific Palisades district. The fire department there extended the evacuation order to other areas. Firefighting helicopters battled the flames during the night (local time). A curfew was in place to prevent looting. The Los Angeles district had recently declared a local public health emergency due to dangerous smoke. People complain about headaches, for example.

A total of five fires raged in Los Angeles County over an area of around 13,750 hectares – the size of around 19,000 football fields. So far, almost 10,000 buildings have been destroyed and 180,000 people have had to leave the endangered areas. Meanwhile are At least ten people died in the fires.

Fire department complains about underfunding

Meanwhile has died Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowleymade serious accusations against the city administration. Die Fire department budget cut by $17 million (€16.5 million) Kristin Crowley complained on the US television channel CNN that this is now having a negative impact on her agency’s ability to combat hands. “We can no longer maintain the current situation.” “We don’t have enough firefighters,” she said.

Search for victims not yet complete

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Lunadid not want to give a final number of victims at a press conference because the teams had not yet completed the search for human remains in the burned down houses. Specialists with cadaver dogs are on the move in the affected areas. According to that Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone is there also several injured. However, he has not yet given an exact number.

The Sheriff of Los Angeles County: Robert Luna – here in January 2023.

Given the widespread devastation, Luna expected the number to rise. “It looks like an atomic bomb fell in these areas.” “I don’t expect any good news,” Luna said. The sheriff had previously reported that just that Eaton Fire 4,000 to 5,000 buildings damaged or destroyed, including single- and multi-family homes and commercial properties.

The Palisades Fire has destroyed another 5,300 buildings, according to officials. Among other things, they are also located there German cultural sites Villa Aurora and the Thomas Mann Housethe refuges of the writers Lion Feuchtwanger and Thomas Mann from the National Socialists. All over California, according to Cal Fire There are currently 92 active forest fires. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. But it will also investigated in the direction of arsonsaid media reports.

Mel Gibson: “My home looked like Dresden”

The wind is a big problem: firefighters continue to fight the flames in California.

Several celebrities also lost homes in the flames, including Hollywood star Mel Gibson. “It’s the perfect storm, the perfect firestorm. My home looked like Dresden“, said the 69-year-old to the US broadcaster “NewsNation”. The actor also took the loss with humor: “At least I don’t have any of those annoying plumbing problems anymore,” Gibson continued.

There are also restrictions in the film industry due to the large fires. The announcement of the Oscar nominations, scheduled for January 17th, will take place two days later. Managing director Bill Kramer announced this in a letter to around 10,000 members, as US media reported.

The damage near Los Angeles is estimated at $150 billion

The private weather forecast service AccuWeather estimated the damage and the economic loss of the brands to 135 to 150 billion dollars a. The company expects a slow recovery and rising insurance costs for homeowners. Tens of thousands of residents had to leave their homes because of the fires. Mandatory evacuation orders applied to 180,000There were corresponding warnings for 200,000 more.

Since the fire was not yet under control, the amount of damage could increase. According to media reports, the fact that houses are often built very close together or partly made of wood also plays a role in the damage. In pictures of the ruin fields you can see that sometimes only the stone chimney of the burned down buildings is still standing.

The fire around Los Angeles has left a beauty of devastation in its wake.

US President Joe Bidenwho declared a state of disaster in California on Tuesday, promised on Thursday that the US federal government in the next 180 days 100 percent of the costs for the removal of debris and hazardous material, for emergency shelter and for the disadvantage of first responders. He called the fires the most devastating in California history.

At least eight months without rain

The cause of the fires is not yet known. In southern California, where Los Angeles is located, It hasn’t rained much at all for at least eight months. Trees and bushes have dried up. Added to this are the typically strong Santa Ana winds, whose flames spread quickly.

The center of Hollywood is now threatened by war

The fires also threatened the center of Hollywood. Thick smoke lay over the city. Many people wore masks. All schools were closed. Events have been canceled. Around 300,000 people continue to live without electricity in the affected areas.

According to the authorities, the fire disaster also attracted criminals. At least 20 suspects have been arrested so far in connection with looting. The Los Angeles Police Department imposed a nighttime curfew in areas affected by the fire. “You are not allowed to be in these affected areas.” “If you do, you will be arrested,” County Sheriff Robert Luna said Friday.

Trump sharply criticizes local government

Biden’s successor Donald Trump claimed in his online service Truth Social that California is only suffering from a water shortage because the Democrats in power there are diverting rainwater because of a “useless fish”.

The west coast metropolis’s disaster management also came into focus at a press conference on Thursday. “Our top priority now is to save lives, protect lives, save homes.” “I’m not here to talk about the state of our budget,” said Mayor Karen Bass at a press conference where they had to answer critical questions from journalists present about the lack of resources and delayed help.

Residents of the affected areas reported this to a reporter of non-functioning hydrants, a lack of fire-fighting water and too few rescue workers. Bass admitted that extreme weather conditions – especially strong winds – had exacerbated the situation and hampered the use of firefighting aircraft. “We also know that fire hydrants are not designed for such massive destruction,” she said.

Responding to criticism of budget cuts for the fire department, the mayor said: “I think if you look back at the cuts that have been made, you can see that there were no cuts that had an impact on the situation that we have been dealing with in the last few days . “had to fight.” It is important to understand that there has been a difficult fiscal situation.

The city recently decided to cut the fire department’s budget by around 18 million US dollars (around 17.5 million euros). The total budget is around $820 million.

In addition to the city fire department, other authorities are also involved in fighting the fires. These are not financed through the city budget, but are supported by funds from the state of California and federal money.

First in mid-December, forest fires in Malibu, around 50 kilometers west of Los Angeles, forced many stars from their homes, including Mira Sorvino and Cher. In November 2018, a severe fire raged around Malibu, devastating large areas of land and destroying more than 1,500 houses. (AFP, dpa, Reuters, Tsp)