According to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, the 24 deaths included eight from the fires in the Palisades on the western side of the city. The remaining 16 died in the Eaton Fire in the foothills east of Los Angeles, the office said. Robert Luna, the Los Angeles County sheriff, said four people were missing from the Palisades Fire and 12 from the Eaton Fire zone.
The blazes burned for a sixth straight day on Sunday, reducing whole neighborhoods to smouldering ruins, leveling homes and leaving an apocalyptic landscape.
Already, Hollywood studios have suspended production, and Universal Studios closed their theme park. Even the televised announcement of this year’s Oscars nominees has been delayed.
California’s prolonged drought has left vegetation extremely dry and highly flammable, turning trees, brush, and undergrowth into fuel for the flames.
In fact, Los Angeles has not seen significant rainfall since May 05, when the city recorded just 0.13 inches, the Los Angeles Times reported. A tenth of an inch of rain is necessary to hydrate dry vegetation and mitigate wildfire risks.
Adding to this are the Santa Ana winds, strong and dry gusts originating from inland deserts. These winds exacerbate fire conditions by stripping vegetation of its remaining moisture, allowing fires to ignite and spread more quickly.
Private forecaster AccuWeather has meanwhile estimated the damage and economic loss at $135 billion to $150 billion, portending an arduous recovery and soaring homeowners' insurance costs.
California Governor Gavin Newsom told NBC News the fires were likely to be the worst natural disaster in US history “in terms of just the costs associated with it”.
Officials meanwhile warned the entire Los Angeles County population of nearly 10 million that anyone may be ordered to evacuate. By Sunday, more than 100,000 people in Los Angeles County had been ordered to evacuate – down from a previous high of 180,000 – while another 87,000 faced evacuation warnings.
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