Three wildfires are still raging across Los Angeles County nearly a week after they started, but after a brief respite over the weekend, strong winds returned Monday, giving firefighters a chance to extinguish them. is struggling with
Large swaths of the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, an area nearly three times the size of Manhattan Island, have been gutted and more than 153,000 residents remain under mandatory evacuation orders.
Meanwhile, questions are beginning to swirl about the cause of the Palisades fire, the largest of the three, which claimed eight lives, destroyed more than 5,000 structures and burned 24,000 acres.
Los Angeles city officials warned at a news conference Monday that hurricane-force winds are likely to return soon, making it even more difficult for firefighters to extinguish the fire. They also sought to reassure the public that “urgent preparations” were in place to keep residents and communities safe.
The total death toll from the Palisades and Eaton fires was 24, with nine people still missing as of Monday morning, officials said.
Six small fires have been declared extinguished by fire officials, but the remaining three will take longer to be tackled.
The impact will be devastating. a New estimates from AccuWeather The fire storm is estimated to cost between $250 billion and $275 billion, making it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
This is all the more important considering that Los Angeles County, where the fires occurred, has about 9.7 million residents, more people than all but 10 U.S. states.
This is where the L.A. wildfires remain as of Monday evening.
palisades fire
The official fire total for the Palisades Fire, which has consumed entire neighborhoods and reduced thousands of homes to charred rubble, remained flat as of Monday, CalFire said.
The third most destructive fire to hit California is only 14% contained, a slight improvement from Sunday's 11%, as strong winds pick up Monday and are expected to continue into the middle of the week. .
Los Angeles fire officials said the cause of the Palisades fire is still under investigation and nothing has been ruled out, including arson.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is leading the investigation.
However, recent media reports point to two potential causes.
The Washington Post conducted a forensic analysis of the area in the foothills of the Pacific Palisades where the fire is believed to have started. Experts say this indicates the deadly fire may have been a “rekindling” caused by the smoldering embers of another, much smaller fire that started on New Year's Eve. It has begun.
A source told the Los Angeles Times on condition of anonymity that authorities now believe the fire, which started on a popular hiking trail, may be “human-caused.”
eaton fire
The Eaton Fire has burned 14,117 acres (22 square miles) and is the deadliest fire still burning in Los Angeles County as of Monday evening, claiming 16 lives, authorities said. It is said that 1,213 buildings were burned.
Despite deteriorating conditions on Monday, firefighters made some progress, with the fire being contained at 33%.
hearst fire
The Hearst Fire in the northern San Fernando Valley inched closer to being contained Monday, with authorities saying the fire was 95% contained, up from 89% on Sunday.
