Worst Yet to Come?: LA Wildfires Threaten Lives With 'Particularly Dangerous' Forecast

Los Angeles: Fires tearing through the Los Angeles area have killed at least 24 people, displaced thousands of others and destroyed more than 12,000 structures while burning through an area larger than San Francisco.

The blazes started last Tuesday, fueled by fierce Santa Ana winds that forecasters expect to kick back up through at least midweek. Cal Fire reported that the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hurst fires have consumed about 62 square miles (160 square kilometers).

The Palisades Fire, along the coast, has been blamed for eight deaths, while the Eaton Fire further inland has been blamed for 16 others, the LA County medical examiner's office said. At least 16 people are missing, and authorities said that number is expected to rise.

Investigators are still trying to determine what sparked the fires. They could be the nation's costliest ever, with preliminary estimates by AccuWeather, a company that provides data on weather and its impact, putting the damage and economic losses at between $250 billion and $275 billion.

Forecasters warn of a “particularly dangerous situation”

The National Weather Service issued a rare warning about a “particularly dangerous situation” related to severe fire conditions beginning overnight Monday into Tuesday.

Sustained winds of up to 40 mph (64 kph) and gusts in the mountains reaching 65 mph (105 kph) are predicted through Wednesday, forecasters said. The most dangerous day will be Tuesday, fire behavior analyst Dennis Burns warned at a community meeting Sunday night.

Strong Santa Ana winds have been largely blamed for turning the wildfires into infernos that leveled entire neighborhoods in and around Los Angeles where there has been no significant rainfall in over eight months.

Thousands remain evacuated or without power

The flames have threatened and burned through several highly populated neighborhoods over the past week, including Pacific Palisades, Altadena and others.

About 150,000 people were under evacuation orders, with more than 700 taking refuge in nine shelters. Officials said most of those orders were unlikely to be lifted before the high wind warnings expire Wednesday evening.

Cal Fire reported containment of the Palisades Fire at 14% and the Eaton Fire at 33% as of Monday morning.

The Kenneth Fire, which broke out near West Hills in the San Fernando Valley, was 100% contained as of Sunday morning, while the Hurst Fire was 89% contained.

About 50,000 customers, more than half of them in Los Angeles County, were without power across California as of Monday morning, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide. That is down from about 70,000 on Sunday.

Sewer, water and power infrastructure across the region has been significantly damaged, officials said.

Thousands have fled and many have lost their homes, including Hollywood stars Billy Crystal and Mandy Moore and Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick.

The fires have scorched more than just landmarks and celebrity homes

Although the fires have reduced a number of celebrity mansions and movie landmarks to ashes, they also burned through more affordable communities such as Altadena, which has served as for generations of Black families who might have faced discriminatory housing practices elsewhere.

The fires have also destroyed several places of worship, including a mosque, a synagogue, a Catholic parish and a half-dozen Protestant churches.

Investigators are looking into what sparked the fires

No cause has been determined yet for the fires.

Lightning is the most common source of fires in the U.S., according to the National Fire Protection Association, but investigators quickly ruled that out. There were no reports of lightning in the Palisades area or the terrain around the Eaton Fire, which started in eastern Los Angeles County.

The next two most common causes are fires that are intentionally set or caused by electricity lines.

Several events have been canceled and postponed

The Critics Choice Awards rescheduled Sunday ceremonies in Santa Monica for Jan. 26.

The organization that puts on the Oscars extended the voting window for Academy Award nominations and delayed next week’s planned nominations announcement.

The NFL moved the Los Angeles Rams’ wild-card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings to Arizona because of the fires. The game will be played Monday night. And the NBA postponed the Lakers’ game against the Hornets.

NBA games are scheduled to return to Los Angeles on Monday night, with the Clippers hosting the Miami Heat and the Lakers set to host the San Antonio Spurs. It’ll be the Clippers’ first game in five days after having their home game against Charlotte on Saturday postponed. The Lakers had two home games pushed back.

Public officials are facing blame

LA Mayor Karen Bass faces a critical test of her leadership during the city’s greatest crisis in decades, as allegations of leadership failures, political blame and investigations have begun.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered state officials to determine why a 117 million-gallon (440 million-liter) reservoir was out of service and some hydrants had run dry.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said city leadership failed her department by not providing enough money for firefighting. She also criticized the lack of water.