Los Angeles is still burning and the wind is fanning the flames. 24 dead

Los Angeles continues to burn and while the number of victims rises to 24 they are strengthened gusts of wind that could fan the flames. The fight against the fire and the search for the missing continues unabated. And maximum attention is paid to the risk of looting in the evacuated areas. Political controversies also flare up with President-elect Donald Trump attacking the Democratic administration for its management of the emergency.

Over 100 thousand people are still homeless and more than 10 thousand structures destroyed. Yesterday evening, outgoing President Joe Biden called a virtual briefing with his officials (Kamala Harris was also present) to take stock of the emergency. “We will continue to support the state and local response with federal resources, for as long as necessary,” the outgoing US president wrote on X. Firefighters stopped the Palisades fire from spreadingwhich was expanding into upscale Brentwood and the San Fernando Valley.

But conditions are set to get worse. The alarm is triggered for gusts of wind that could blow up to 110 kilometers per hour, so much so that the alert will be declared starting from the beginning of Tuesday, explained Rose Schoenfeld, of the National Meteorological Service.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said his department has received resources including dozens of new tankers. Asked whether fire hydrants could run dry again, as they did last week, Mayor Karen Bass responded, “I think the city is prepared.” Law enforcement officers – even in plain clothes – are patrolling the evacuated areas to prevent this the risk of looting: several people were arrested including a thief who dressed as a fireman to steal from homes. Nighttime curfews in deserted areas have been extended and additional National Guard resources have been requested.”

The Palisades fire has so far consumed 9,500 acres and is only 11% contained. Video footage showed a kind of “fire tornado”: scorching spirals that occur when a fire is at its peak intensity.

Meanwhile, the death toll is rising: 24, as reported by the Los Angeles County medical examiner without providing other details. Eight bodies were found in the Palisades Fire area and 16 in the Eaton Fire area. The total number of residents subjected to evacuation order dropped to around 100,000, from a peak of nearly 180,000.

The sudden influx of people looking for accommodation then caused the phenomenon of real estate scams to explode. California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that he will suspend some environmental laws to allow reconstruction in areas destroyed by fires. And he assured that the City of Angels will be rebuilt by promising a new “Marshall Plan”.

“We already have a team that is trying to reinvent LA 2.0,” he said. For its part, Donald Trump accused California officials of incompetence. “This is one of the worst disasters in the history of our country. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong?” laments the US president-elect on Truth Social. The firefighting operation which has been operating around the clock since the first flames broke out was strengthened on Sunday with the arrival of teams from Mexico.

They join men and women from across California and the United States. Volodymyr Zelensky offered to send 150 soldiers from Ukraine to California. “The situation there is extremely difficult and Ukrainians can help Americans save lives,” the Ukrainian president wrote on social media. Meanwhile, investigations by federal and local authorities are underway to determine the cause of the fires.