Fire crews are trying to get the upper hand on blazes that are tearing through Los Angeles before expected high wind gusts threaten their progress. The fires, which may become the most expensive in US history, have killed at least 24 people, displaced thousands, destroyed more than 12,000 structures and have 100,000 people under evacuation orders.
Sustained winds of up to 40mph (64km/h) and gusts in the mountains reaching 65mph (105km/h) are predicted through Wednesday, forecasters said. Winds picked up on Monday and were expected to strengthen on Tuesday, fire behavior analyst Dennis Burns said.
And as Los Angeles holds its breath in anticipation of more strong winds, more stories of victims who have lost their lives, residents who have had their homes destroyed and historic structures and businesses that have been burned down are emerging.
The fires 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 sq miles (160 sq km).
The Palisades fire, along the coast, is responsible for eight deaths, while the Eaton fire, further inland, has killed 16 others, the LA county medical examiner’s office said. At least 23 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 country’s costliest ever. Government agencies have not provided preliminary damage estimates yet, but AccuWeather, a company that provides data on weather and its impact, puts the damage and economic losses at $250bn to $275bn.
The National Weather Service issued a rare warning about a “particularly dangerous situation” related to severe fire conditions beginning overnight Monday into Tuesday.
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 more than eight months.
LA County Recovers, a government-run program, posted interactive maps on its website that show homes and other structures that have been damaged.
The maps for the Eaton and Palisades fires allow users to click on an icon and get a description of the type of structure, such as a home or commercial building, and the type of damage, such as “major” or “destroyed”.
Addresses may be entered into a search bar to find a specific location. Users can also see photos of the damaged buildings.
Price gouging has become an issue with hotels, short-term rentals and medical supplies. Scammers are also soliciting donations for bogus relief efforts, authorities said.
The flames have threatened and burned through several highly populated neighborhoods over the past week, including Pacific Palisades, Altadena and others.
Real estate data tracker CoreLogic says the reconstruction cost value of commercial and residential properties inside areas where there are active fires could be $14.8bn. The estimate is based on more than 16,500 properties that could have been damaged in the blazes so far in the Palisades fire and the Eaton blaze burning just outside Los Angeles. The firm noted that not all properties in the areas scorched by the blazes may have necessarily been damaged or sustained damage equal to their full reconstruction cost.
Officials on Monday lowered the number of people under evacuation orders from about 150,000 to under 100,000. However, they cautioned that more evacuations could be ordered when high winds return this week.
Cal Fire reported containment of the Palisades fire at 14% and the Eaton fire at 33% as of Monday morning. Those two fires have burned a combined nearly 38,000 acres since they began last Tuesday.
The Kenneth fire, which broke out near West Hills in the San Fernando Valley, was completely contained, while the Hurst fire was 95% contained.
