California wildfires: Extra water tankers, firefighters arrive in LA amid high winds threat
As many as 24 people have lost their lives in the raging wildfires so far, with many others still believed to be missing. Meanwhile, more than 12,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed in six simultaneous wildfires that spread across the County starting last Tuesday. The firefighters on Monday braced for high winds, which are expected to further fuel the massive wildfires that have already brought down entire neighbourhoods to ashes. As per the National Weather Service’s forecast, dry Santa Ana wind gusts of 45 to 70 miles per hour (72 to f112 kph) were forecast to resume on Monday and continue through Wednesday.
More than 8,500 firefighters are involved in this high-stakes battle, with officials saying that the state was pre-positioning firefighting crews in vulnerable areas, not just in LA but also in southern California counties.
California wildfires | Key points
President-elect Donald Trump has accused California officials of incompetence. “They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said he was launching a “Marshall Plan” to rebuild the ravaged city. “We already have a team looking at reimagining L.A. 2.0,” he said.
The National Weather Service has warned of worsening weather conditions ahead. Santa Ana winds are predicted to pick up and last through Tuesday morning. They can bring sustained winds up to 30 mph, and wind gusts up to 70 mph.
Over 1,53,000 residents and 57,000 structures are under evacuation orders, and another 1,66,000 residents have been warned of potential evacuation.
About 50,000 customers without power, “down from over half a million just a couple days ago.”
The death toll is expected to mount when fire rescue fighters can enter and search ravaged structures.
