A historic wildfire has destroyed more than 10,000 homes in Los Angeles, authorities said Friday, as strong winds are expected to hit the region again early next week.
“I lost everything,” said Walt Butler, 83, who lost his Altadena home in the Eaton fire.
“I said, 'If we can't get past that. [the fire’s] you'll get me, he said “Good Morning America” Friday. “I stayed away from the fire, and that shouldn't have happened.”
More than 82,000 people remained under evacuation orders Friday, with many anxiously waiting to find out if their homes and belongings had been reduced to ash.
As wildfires began burning in the area on January 7, large numbers of residents gathered at checkpoints to appeal to police and soldiers to return residents who had fled their homes back to their neighborhoods.
“The building sustained incredible damage,” said Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella. said at the briefing. “They are full of sediment, debris, silt and hazardous materials.”
Meanwhile, meteorologists warned that the strong winds that fueled the raging fires were expected to pick up again on Monday.
Wind gusts are expected to reach up to 90 mph in the Los Angeles area Monday night into early Tuesday morning, potentially starting new fires and expanding existing fires, meteorologists told the Post.
“The winds are not as strong as last week, but they still pose just as much of a threat because the ground is so dry,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Cody Blood.
“Don't let your guard down until we get some heavy rain,” he said, adding that there was no chance of rain for another week.
By contrast, Santa Ana's winds peaked at hurricane strength at 160 mph in Los Angeles when the fires broke out on January 7th.
By Friday afternoon, the Palisades Fire was 31% contained and the Eaton Fire was 65% contained.
Containment is concerned with the potential for a fire to spread, not how well it is contained.
At least 27 people have died in the wildfires and dozens are still missing, officials said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is investigating 31 missing persons related to the wildfires. Seven of these fires were associated with the Palisades Fire, and the remaining 24 were associated with the Eaton Fire.
At least 12,000 structures had been destroyed in the Los Angeles area as of Friday, about 10,000 of which were homes. NPR reported.
The report said some homes in the area where the fire started were spared because homeowners set up landscaping to create “defensible space” without placing flammable plants around their properties.
Alex Rosewood and her family in Altadena said they lost their home along with priceless memorabilia and family heirlooms, from wedding photos to their grandmother's quilt.
“I'm sure we're all planning on rebuilding,” she said.
with post wire
