Indomitable flames, Los Angeles on its knees. 16 victims and 150 thousand displaced people

Despite the efforts of the firefighters, the fires that have been devastating Los Angeles for days continue to expand, while the toll from the catastrophe rises to 16 confirmed deaths. According to official data, the fire destroyed over 12 thousand structures, not only homes but also warehouses, outbuildings and caravans. There are 150 thousand people forced to leave their homes, which in many cases they will never see again.

The Pacific Palisades fire, the largest underway, has spread to 9,500 hectares and is only 11% contained. The flames, fueled by strong winds, are now threatening areas that have remained unharmed until now such as the densely populated San Fernando Valley in the north and putting at risk the priceless collections of the Getty Center art museum in the east. The other major fire, that of Eaton which is plaguing the Altadena area, now covers 5,600 hectares and is contained at 15%.

A temporary decrease in the fury of the winds yesterday allowed the air vehicles, which intervened to drop water from above, to begin to contain the flames but the respite did not last long. “Critical fire weather conditions will unfortunately return to intensify today for Southern California and will last at least through early next week,” the National Weather Service warned, “which could lead to the spread of ongoing wildfires and the development of new”.

Police and the National Guard have set up checkpoints to prevent access to disaster areas and thus prevent looting. However, the measures have exasperated residents, forced to endure queues of up to ten hours to try to return to their homes and find out if there is anything left to save. This increased discontent with the authorities’ response, which had already boiled over due to fire hydrants running dry when the flames had just started to break out.

The main target of criticism is the city’s mayor, Karen Bass, who appeared in a tense press conference alongside the head of the fire department, Kristin Crowley, to send a signal of unity. In the previous hours, rumors had spread in the media that Bass was ready to fire Crowley, who had complained about the limited funds available. “As you see here, the chief and I are aligned in our number one mission, and that mission is to get us through this emergency,” Bass told reporters.

The president-elect, Donald Trump, in the meantime has started thundering again on Truth Social against the “incompetent politicians” who “have no idea how to put out the fires”. The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, insulted several times by the tycoon in recent days, invited Trump to Los Angeles to visit the affected areas with him. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna vowed to leave “no stone unturned” to bring the arsonists believed to have started the fire to justice. The fires reached such devastating proportions due to the eight months of scant rainfall which made perfect fuel the abundant vegetation that had grown in the previous two years of exceptional rainfall and then dried up.