The ongoing battle to contain wildfires around Los Angeles took several new turns on Saturday, as officials warned that while some smaller blazes had been effectively contained or extinguished, the Palisades fire threatened to spread west of the 405 freeway into some of the priciest neighborhoods of the city.
Here are the key takeaways on Saturday:
Santa Ana winds return
Meteorologists said the Santa Ana winds, which have propelled the fires on and off for five days, are expected to pick up again on Saturday night and continue into Sunday, bringing with them an official fire watch starting at 6pm on Saturday.
Los Angeles county is forecast to see a lull in the winds Sunday evening before they pick up again Monday through Wednesday, gusting 25-45mph, far less than the hurricane force winds that triggered the start of the devastation on Tuesday.
Aerial assault is mounted to protect homes in Brentwood and Encino
More than 3,700 firefighters were battling the Palisades fire on Saturday, as two homes near Mandeville Canyon were lost as the fire pushed north-east. Firefighting aircraft dropped water and fire retardant into the canyon, which is otherwise accessible only by a narrow, two-lane road.
Flames could be seen cresting the mountains in the San Fernando valley approaching Brentwood.
The new flare-up was a “significant development”, said LA county spokesperson Jesus Ruiz, adding that with the fire rapidly growing and moving in the direction of “a heavily populated area … we’re definitely concerned”.
Death toll likely to rise as search for missing people goes on
Officials confirmed that at least 11 people had died in the Palisades and Eaton fires, with 13 more reported as missing. They warned that the death toll was likely to rise as emergency services brought in cadaver search dogs.
“We do, unfortunately, anticipate that deaths will go up because of the destruction that we’re seeing,” said the Los Angeles sheriff, Robert Luna. “We’re not able to get in there in a manner – because it’s still not safe – to really do a thorough search.”
Source of fires still under investigation
Luna said there was still an “active and fluid investigation” into the causes of the fires and said his detectives had not determined whether the fires had been started by an individual or a group. “Everything is absolutely on the table,” he said.
Luna urged residents to come forward with any information that might be pertinent, as the investigation was joined by the FBI and the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives, which will take the lead on investigating how the Palisades fire started.
“If anybody out there has any information on anything suspicious – maybe there’s a conversation, maybe there’s a social media post, something that you think just doesn’t sound right, get it to us,” Luna said. “We are not going to leave any rock unturned if this is a criminal act.”
Looters and disaster sightseers warned away
Luna said 22 people had been arrested – 19 at the Eaton fire and three at the Palisades fire – on a variety of charges as the county imposed a 6pm-6am curfew on areas affected by mandatory evacuation orders. Most of the arrests, Luna said, were made on suspicion of burglary, trespassing, possession of narcotics and identity theft.
More national guard called up
The number of California national guard members ordered to respond to the fires was doubled to 1,680, California governor Gavin Newsom announced. Some of the guard members are assigned to traffic checkpoints to keep people from entering fire-affected communities, others to support fire-suppression efforts.
Mayor denies rift with fire chief
Beleaguered LA mayor Karen Bass, who took a trip to Ghana even as Santa Ana wind warnings were issued, rejected calls for the Los Angeles fire chief, Kristin Crowley, to be dismissed over her department’s response to the fires.
“The chief and I are in lock step” in putting out the fires and saving lives, Bass said at a news conference. “If there are differences that we have, we will continue to deal with those in private.” Bass invited Crowley to join her at the podium in a show of unity. On Friday evening, Crowley told a local television reporter that the city had let her department down by failing to provide adequate funding to fight fires.