Dozens of people are believed to have died in the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have burned down whole swaths of communities
CASTAIC, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters fought to maintain the upper hand on a huge and rapidly moving wildfire that swept through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles and resulted in more than 50,000 people being put under evacuation orders or warnings.
Firefighters in Southern California conducted another fierce wildfire fight on Wednesday and into Thursday morning. Crews raced to contain the massive Hughes Fire in Los Angeles County while another blaze broke out near a busy freeway,
Eaton Fire initially started 6:18 p.m. Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County. Since its discovery 15 days ago, it has burned 14,021 acres. A fire crew of 1,837 has been working on site and, as of Wednesday evening, they managed to contain 95% of the fire. However, investigations into the cause are ongoing.
Officials released details about the recovery effort from the initial Los Angeles fires — expected to last up to 18 months as authorities clear the wreckage.
A massive wildfire flared up on Wednesday prompting thousands of residents northwest of Los Angeles to evacuate.
A brush fire erupted amid powerful winds Wednesday afternoon in the Castaic area in the northern region of Los Angeles County, spreading quickly to 10,176 acres near the freeway, officials said.
Some schools destroyed years ago in the Sonoma and Butte county fires are just now reopening. The long, expensive process of rebuilding in LA may eat up much of the money voters approved in November for school repairs statewide.
Republican Rep. Young Kim of Orange County says, “Playing politics with people’s livelihoods is unacceptable."
As critical fire weather continues to strike in Southern California, crews are also tasked with preparing for a storm expected this weekend that could trigger mudslides in burn scar areas.
The bushfire started northwest of Downtown Los Angeles and spread from Los Angeles County to Ventura County and prompted evacuations.