Wildfires latest: An additional 84,000 people could be ordered to evacuate, officials warn
Firefighters around Los Angeles were preparing on Tuesday to attack flare-ups or new blazes. The National Weather Service issued a rare warning that dry winds combined with severely dry conditions created a “ particularly dangerous situation,” indicating that any new fire could explode in size. The warning comes a week after two massive infernos destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people.
Here’s the latest:
‘Nobody’s dying’
Flush with her $1.25 winnings at the bingo tables, Sharon Tanner retired to a room off the dining hall to discuss the top worry for the residents council at her senior living community: what to do about people leaving their laundry in the washing machines and dryers.
Dinner service at the Terraces at Park Marino in Pasadena, California, was about half over, and residents were gathering in the lobby for the night’s movie feature: “Scent of a Woman.” Tanner and Carlene Sutherland, the council vice president and secretary, were discussing the laundry scofflaws when something caught their attention.
“I smell smoke,” Tanner said.
“So do I,” remarked Sutherland.
High above in the surrounding hills, a fire was burning. But staff had decided they were in no immediate danger, and the women figured they were smelling a distant fire.
Then they heard a commotion in the lobby.
The space was filling up with people, many of them agitated. Outside, the wind was howling.
Then the power went out.
Read more about how a senior home evacuated before burning down
Lucy Walker made a searing film about wildfires in 2021. Now, people may be more inclined to listen
When Lucy Walker debuted her harrowing documentary about California wildfires, “Bring Your Own Brigade,” at Sundance in 2021, it was during peak COVID. Not the best time for a film on a wholly different scourge.
“It was really hard,” the Oscar-nominated filmmaker says now. “I didn’t blame people for not wanting to watch a film about the fires in the middle of the pandemic, because it was just too much horror.”
That could change. Walker thinks people may now be more receptive to her message, given the devastating wildfires that have wrought havoc on Los Angeles itself the past week.
Read more about the film’s portrayal of two devastating 2018 wildfires in California
Search efforts for those reported missing enter another day
At least two dozen people have been reported missing in the two largest wildfires, and sheriff’s deputies are searching or them. But that number changes often.
Conditions remain dangerous throughout the burned areas and the threat of additional fires is real.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that despite the progress that’s been made in some areas, people need to be vigilant.
“I don’t want people to start thinking everything’s OK now. Everything’s not OK yet,” Luna said. “We’ll get there together, but again the wind’s blowing and it’s going to continue to blow.”
Officials are helping residents access medications and other help
Anish Mahajan, Chief Deputy Director, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said there is help for residents who need refills on medications they may have left behind or new prescriptions.
Mahajan said there is also a program available that can provide medication to people who are receiving opioid addiction treatment.
The high winds are expected to create air quality problems in the Los Angeles area as ash from the wildfires is picked up in the winds. Mahajan urged everyone to wear an N-95 or P-100 protective mask if they have to be outside in an area with poor air quality.
FEMA is assisting people with immediate needs
Some 40,000 people have already applied for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has provided over $8 million so far for immediate needs, said Robert J. Fenton, Jr., regional administrator for FEMA Region 9.
But Fenton said at a news conference on Tuesday that everyone will need to file insurance claims. FEMA aid is designed to help with unmet needs — after insurance claims are paid.
Fenton said the maximum amount of aid FEMA can provide is $43,600.
President Joe Biden has said the federal government would pay 100% of the firefighting and recovery costs in the first 180 days, but Fenton noted that doesn’t mean FEMA will cover 100% of individual families’ costs.
Bass says damage from the wildfires is devastating to see
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass got a chance to survey the wildfire damage from the air Monday, and she said it was devastating to see.
Bass said seeing the destruction drove home the enormity of the situation, and described the aftermath of the wind-driven infernos as a “dry hurricane.”
Bass said she wants to begin thinking about how Los Angeles will rebuild from the massive destruction.
She added that she has taken steps to reduce the bureaucracy residents may face when they start to recover from the fires and has also signed an order to clear the path for debris removal.
All eyes are on FEMA, county supervisor says
LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said the Federal Emergency Management Agency is the agency designed to help people at their darkest moment, but residents need clear answers about exactly what help they can expect.
“We need to be very clear about what help FEMA can provide,” Barger said on Tuesday morning.
3 people have been arrested since Sunday on suspicion of arson
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said all three were arrested on suspicion of arson.
One person was using a barbecue lighter to start fires. Another person lit a trash can on fire. The third person was caught lighting brush on fire. Those small fires were all quickly extinguished.
The arson arrests were in addition to nearly 40 arrests for looting, flying drones illegally that could interfere with firefighting aircraft, curfew violations and other things, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
About 85,000 people have been warned they might face evacuation orders
Strong winds over the next day will create dangerous conditions as several major wildfires continue to burn in the Los Angeles area.
About 88,000 people remained under evacuation orders Tuesday morning because of the fires. But another 84,800 have been warned that they might be ordered to evacuate.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna encouraged people to consider leaving when they get a warning without waiting for an order.
Luna pointed out that his deputies had to rescue many people who waited until the last minute when evacuations were ordered last week.
Nearly 3 dozen arrests have been made
Authorities have made nearly 40 arrests for looting, flying drones illegally that could interfere with firefighting aircraft, curfew violations and other things, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
At least two dozen people have been reported missing
Sheriff’s officials said Tuesday they are investigating at least two dozen missing persons cases — 18 in the Eaton Fire and six around the Palisades.
‘It is still very dangerous for the next 24 hours,’ sheriff says
LA County Sheriff Robert Luna urged people to leave as soon as evacuation warnings are issued.
He added that despite the progress that’s been made in some areas, people need to be vigilant.
“I don’t want people to start thinking everything’s OK now. Everything’s not OK yet,” Luna said. “We’ll get there together but again the wind’s blowing and it’s going to continue to blow.”
Evacuation orders could rise over the coming day
Some 88,000 people are currently under evacuation orders, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said on Tuesday at a morning news conference.
Luna warned that number could go up over the next 24 hours with the wind threat.
“Life-threatening and destructive and widespread winds are already here,” LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley said.
Thousands are currently without power
About 85,000 customers were without power Tuesday morning in southern California, according to PowerOutage.us website that tracks outages nationwide.
That number could grow significantly as the winds pick up throughout the day if utilities have to shut off power to reduce the risk of sparking a new fire with their utility lines.
Southern California Edison warned about 450,000 customers Monday that their power may be shut off temporarily because of the expected high winds.
The National Weather Service said Tuesday that strong winds were expected to resume in the morning and continue at least through mid-morning before slowing in the afternoon. The Santa Ana winds this week are expected to follow a more typical pattern with the strongest winds in the mornings.
FEMA says misinformation about government assistance after the fires is being spread deliberately
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency says officials have seen the deliberate spreading of misinformation related to government assistance after the wildfires in Los Angeles in ways similar to what occurred following Hurricane Helene’s devastation in North Carolina last year.
“We are seeing that,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said when President Joe Biden asked about misinformation during a White House briefing on the wildfires.
Biden asked a similar question of U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. He responded, “There’s always rumors with large fires like this, Mr. President.”
Criswell said that, if winds intensify overnight and exacerbate still-burning fires, state and county officials have systems that send alerts to the cell phones of people in evacuation zones.
Small airborne embers play a big role in the spread of wildfires
While authorities still don’t know what sparked the deadly fires in the Los Angeles area, they do know one clear way the flames have spread: embers.
Contrary to popular belief, experts say most homes destroyed by wildfires aren’t overcome by a racing wall of flames, but rather burn after being ignited by airborne embers.
Wind allows embers to burn harder and release more energy, becoming a more potent ignition source, said James Urban, an assistant professor in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The burning pieces of debris then accumulate and sort of work together, gathering between the slats of wood fences or in shrubbery and igniting new fires.
Read more about embers and their role in the fires burning around LA
Contaminated drinking water is a growing concern for cities facing wildfires
As fires continue to burn across Los Angeles, several utilities have declared their drinking water unsafe until extensive testing can prove otherwise.
A warmer, drier climate means wildfires are getting worse, and encroaching on cities — with devastating impact. Toxic chemicals from those burns can get into damaged drinking water systems, and even filtering or boiling won’t help, experts say.
Last week, Pasadena Water and Power issued a “Do Not Drink” notice to about a third of its customers for the first time since it began distributing water more than a century ago. With at least one burned pump, several damaged storage tanks, and burned homes, they knew there was a chance toxic chemicals had entered their pipes.
“Out of the abundance of caution, you kind of have to assume the worst,” said Stacie Takeguchi, chief assistant general manager for the utility.
This week, they lifted the notice for most of the area after testing.
Read more about how the fires are impacting drinking water
High winds have worsened California wildfires. What makes them?
High winds have been a key ingredient in the devastating wildfires around Los Angeles.
Southern California’s winds typically flow onshore from the Pacific, carrying moist air onto land. The Santa Ana winds are warm currents that move in the opposite direction.
Santa Ana winds typically occur from September through May, and they are so dry that they’ve been linked with some of the worst wildfires the region has ever seen, in part because the lack of humidity in the air contributes to vegetation quickly drying.
Read more about how these wildfire-fanning winds occur
Here’s where things stand on Tuesday morning
A beefed-up firefighting force was staged around Los Angeles to attack flare-ups or new blazes and anxious residents prepared for more fire danger as winds began to build Tuesday, a week after two massive infernos destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people.
Dry winds gusted early Tuesday to 40 mph (64 kilometers per hour) in coastal and valley areas and 50 miles per hour (80 kph) in the mountains, said meteorologist Todd Hall of the National Weather Service. Gusts up to 65 mph (105 kph) were forecast to continue through midday Wednesday.
The weather service issued a rare warning that the winds combined with severely dry conditions created a “particularly dangerous situation” indicating that any new fire could explode in size. Hall said the conditions could lead to extreme fire behavior that could spread embers 2 to 3 miles (3 to 5 kilometers) ahead of flames or even cause fire tornadoes.
Read more about what firefighters are preparing for