LA wildfires: Wind lull offers hope as blame game begins

LOS ANGELES – Winds calmed on Jan 10 around Los Angeles, providing a fleeting window of opportunity for firefighters battling

five major blazes

, as official recriminations began over responsibility for the disaster.

At least

11 people have died

as flames ripped through neighbourhoods and razed thousands of homes this week in a disaster that US President Joe Biden likened to a “war scene”.

As the scale of the damage to America’s second-biggest city came into focus – one new estimate suggested the bill could hit US$150 billion (S$206 billion) – Los Angeles residents grappled with the heart-rending ruin.

“My house burned down and I lost everything,” Mr Hester Callul, who reached a shelter after fleeing her Altadena home, told AFP.

With fears of looting and crime growing, California governor Gavin Newsom deployed the National Guard to bolster law enforcement.

A nighttime curfew has been imposed in evacuated areas, and dozens of arrests made.

“This curfew will be strictly enforced,” said Los Angeles county sheriff Robert Luna.

The five separate fires have so far burned more than 14,000ha, California’s fire agency reported.

“It reminded me of more of a war scene, where you had certain targets that were bombarded,” said Mr Biden, as he received a briefing on the fires at the White House.

‘Devastating’

A lull in winds enabled much-needed progress in tackling the fires on Jan 10.

The biggest of the blazes has burnt down more than 8,000ha of the upscale Pacific Palisades and Malibu neighbourhoods, where firefighters said they were starting to get the fire under control.

By Jan 10, 8 per cent of its perimeter was contained – meaning it cannot spread any further in that direction.

Braveheart actor Mel Gibson is the latest celebrity to reveal his Malibu home had been destroyed, telling NewsNation the loss is “devastating”.

The Eaton fire in the Altadena area was 3 per cent checked, with almost 5,600ha scorched and key infrastructure – including communication towers – threatened.

Fire chief Jason Schillinger said on Jan 10 that “significant progress” had been made in quelling the blaze.

A third fire that erupted on Jan 9 afternoon near Calabasas and the wealthy Hidden Hills enclave, home to celebrities like Kim Kardashian, was 35 per cent surrounded.

But emergency chiefs warned the situation is “still very dangerous” and the reprieve from intense gusts that spread embers will not last.

“The winds have died down today but... are going to increase again in the coming days,” said Ms Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

‘Need answers’

Authorities have said it is too early to know the cause of the blazes but criticism has mounted of officials’ preparedness and response.

Mr Newsom ordered on Jan 10 a “full independent review” of the city’s water utilities, describing the lack of water and loss of pressure at hydrants during the initial fires as “deeply troubling.”

“We need answers to how that happened,” he wrote in an open letter.

Los Angeles fire chief Kristin Crowley blamed funding cuts to her department, telling Fox News affiliate KTTV: “We are still understaffed, we’re still under-resourced and we’re still underfunded.”

Emergency managers apologised on Jan 10 after false evacuation alerts were sent to millions of mobile phones, sparking panic.

“I can’t express enough how sorry I am,” said Mr Kevin McGowan, director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management.

And aviation authorities were investigating who had piloted an illegal drone that struck a water-dropping aircraft, punching a fist-sized hole in the plane and taking it out of action.

Misinformation

Mr Biden also took a veiled swipe at President-elect Donald Trump, who has spread misinformation over the flames that has then been amplified on social media.

“You’re going to have a lot of demagogues out there trying to take advantage of it,” Mr Biden said.

Wildfires occur naturally but scientists say human-caused climate change is altering weather and changing the dynamics of the blazes.

Two wet years in southern California have given way to a very dry one, leaving ample fuel on the ground primed to burn.

The fires could be the costliest ever recorded, with AccuWeather estimating total damage and loss between US$135 billion and US$150 billion. AFP