US firefighters are still racing against time to prevent wildfires from spreading in the state of California, USA.
The death toll from six wildfires that have been raging simultaneously in Los Angeles since January 7 has risen to 16, US authorities confirmed. At least 12,000 structures have been destroyed, and more than 10 people are missing. The death toll is expected to rise as firefighters search for victims house by house.
The US National Weather Service (NWS) warned of the risk of Santa Ana winds with gusts of up to 112 km/h on the night of January 11 to the morning of January 12 and from the night of January 13 to the morning of January 14 (local time) in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, which could make wildfires worse.
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NWS meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld stressed that the current severe fire phase could last until January 15 and the situation could ease by January 16.
Currently, 153,000 residents in Los Angeles have been ordered to evacuate and 166,000 are on alert to be ready to leave. Some local governments have imposed curfews to prevent looting, while police and the National Guard have set up checkpoints to prevent people from entering the disaster area.
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Meanwhile, the number of customers without power has dropped to 50,000, compared to more than 500,000 a few days ago.
This is the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history and has leveled many residential areas. Authorities are opening a major investigation into the cause of the fire.
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Firefighters are racing against time to stop the spread of wildfires in California. Water-dropping planes and fire retardant have been dropped on the steep hills of Los Angeles to stop the Palisades fire from spreading east. On the ground, efforts are also being intensified as winds gusting up to 70 mph (112 km/h) threaten to make matters worse.
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According to local officials, the Palisades Fire has grown by 400 hectares (1,100 acres) in the past 24 hours, burning more structures. Earlier in the day, officials from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said that although the authorities had contained 11% of the Palisades area, the fire had burned more than 8,900 hectares (21,000 acres).
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The fire has spread to the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood and is threatening to spread to the upscale Brentwood neighborhood, where celebrities live and play. It is also moving into the San Fernando Valley and toward the 405 freeway north-south.
