Officials say LA fires could worsen as powerful winds are forecast for Wednesday
Wildfires are continuing to ravage parts of the Los Angeles area.
Officials have warned that the fires raging across Los Angeles could soon get worse, with the “highest risk” of gusty winds to intensify on Wednesday.
The wildfires, which have now been raging for more than a week, have already burned through 40,000 acres and destroyed more than 12,000 homes and other structures.
Preliminary estimates from AccuWeather show the total damage and economic losses associated with the Southern California wildfires could amount to $275
llion, making it one of the most costly wildfires and natural disasters in recent US history.
According to Goldman Sachs, the total damage from the LA fires could rank among the top 20 costliest natural disasters in US history, in terms of GDP.
More than 8,500 firefighters have been marshaled to fight the blazes, which have caused at least 25 reported deaths.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said 34 people had been reported missing, 21 of whom had been found safe.
Of the 13 remaining, two have most likely been found dead but have yet to be identified, he said.
Fires rage on
On Tuesday night, the LA County Fire Department said that a red warning for the Eaton Fire, one of the major blazes, had been extended through 6 p.m. on Wednesday, local time.
Moderate to strong winds were expected to persist, and gusty winds were at the “highest risk” of impacting the fire early Wednesday morning, it said.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the next 24 hours would be another “dangerous” period, with high winds set to hit the region.
And in an update Tuesday, the National Weather Service of Los Angeles said “critical” fire weather conditions may extend to next week, when another round of Santa Ana winds could take place.
The Palisades and the Eaton Fires were 18% and 35% contained as of the early hours of Wednesday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, while the Hurst fire was almost fully contained, it said.
Looking beyond the destruction
LA officials are already looking beyond the fires, despite firefighters still struggling to put out the larger blazes.
On Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order to speed up the city’s building permit review process, calling for reviews to be completed within 30 days of submission.
The executive order also aims to streamline processes for clearing debris.
Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday issued an executive order barring land developers from making unsolicited and undervalued offers to buy properties.
“Make no mistake — this is a prosecutable crime,” he said in an X post.
Southern California Edison, an electric utility company serving California’s Central, Coastal, and Southern regions, said on Tuesday that 70,250 customers were without power as of 4 p.m. local time.
It added that because of dangerous conditions, it could take days to restore power, and that customers should be prepared for extended and potentially intermittent outages.
