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Fresh evacuation orders have been given to new areas of Los Angeles after the largest wildfire blaze shifted in another direction.
On Friday night, reports that the Palisades Fire on the city’s western edge was heading in a new direction prompted fresh evacuation orders for much of the Brentwood neighborhood and the foothills of the San Fernando Valley.
“The Palisades fire has got a new significant flare-up on the eastern portion and continues to move northeast,” LA Fire Department Captain Erik Scott told local station KTLA, according to a report on the LA Times website.
The latest evacuations come after California Governor Gavin Newsom called for an investigation into the county’s fire hydrants and other water failures.
Some hydrants in the Palisades were unusable earlier this week and reservoir water was reportedly not available, impairing the effort to protect homes. Newsom has called on county officials to investigate the matter and compile a report.
There are six active large wildfires throughout Los Angeles County. The Palisades and Eaton fires are the most destructive in the state’s history. The Palisades fire is at 11 percent containment and the Eaton fire is at 15 percent as of Saturday morning.
At least 11 have been killed as officials continue to battle the stubborn blazes.
Altadena man killed in Eaton fire identified
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has identified one of the individuals killed in the Eaton Fire as 66-year-old Victor Shaw.
Shaw’s sister, Shari, told KTLA that her brother did not evacuate and wanted to try to help battle the blaze.
The medical examiner’s office determined that Shaw died as a result of smoke inhalation and other “thermal” injuries.
He was reportedly found still holding his garden hose outside of his home in Altadena.
On Saturday, LA county officials confirmed that at least 11 people, including Shaw, have died in connection with the wildfires, and that 13 others have been reported missing since the fires began.
Dennis Quaid emotionally reveals ‘many of his friends have lost’ their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires
Dennis Quaid says that “many of his friends” have lost their homes amid the devastating wildfires that continue to tear through several neighborhoods in Southern California.
The 70-year-old Reagan actor, who lives in the Brentwood area of the city, discussed the catastrophic blazes with NBC 4 Los Angeles.
“We’ve had it lucky,” Quaid said of him and his wife Laura Savoie. “I’ve have so many friends who have lost (homes). My agent, he lost both of his houses, and another good friend over at Palisades had just moved into a house and was renting the other one. He lost both of them.
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Residents frustrated they cannot return to their homes, LA County sheriff says its for their own safety
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna has urged residents trying to get back to their homes but who have lost important documentation to go to the county’s family assistance center to receive help.
“Please go there, engage our employees and I can assure you we will do everything we can to assist them in their critical needs,” Luna said on Saturday morning during a press briefing.
He said he understoof the frustration of residents trying to get to their homes, but insisted that any hold up is done in the name of safety.
“Any of us would be frustrated if you want to get back to your own home,” he said. “When we say you can’t do this, it is based on their safety and the safety of others trying to get in and out. So be patient with us, as soon as we can safely get people back in, it will be a top priority.”
WATCH: EastEnders star Patsy Palmer advises LA wildfire victims to meditate
LA Officials reveal arrests have been made for ‘unauthorized entry of emergency areas’
Wind speeds expected to pick up overnight Sunday, possibly walking back containment gains
Forecasters in Southern California fear that wind speeds will pick up again overnight, once again fueling the wildfires and potentially walking back some of the gains firefighters have made containing the blazes. The winds in the region were calm late on Friday and early on Saturday, but forecasters expect to see windpseeds of 20-30 mph (32 kph to 48 kph) overnight. Gust are also expected to pick back up next week, when forecasters predict windspeeds hitting 50 and 60 mph (80 kph and 97 kph) between Monday and Wednesday, with a Tuesday peak. High winds fuel the wildfires, help spread them, and help start new fires.
Latest wildfire numbers: deaths, arrests, missing as 166,000 under evac orders
Los Angeles fire officials provided new details about the wildfires on Saturday afternoon, and revealed that 166,000 people are now under evacuation orders.
According to the fire officials, the death toll is still at 11 people. Eight deaths have been attributed to the Eaton fire, and three have been attributed to the Palisades fire. Police have arrested 22 people who were caught in restricted or otherwise off-limits areas during the fire response.
Thirteen people have been reported missing.
More than 10,000 structures have been damaged thus far during the fire, and another 57,000 are still at risk.
Watch live: Los Angeles County officials give wildfire update as fresh evacuation orders given
Here is why California can’t use ocean water to help fight the wildfires
Fire officials in Los Angeles have run into a serious snag while trying to contain the nearly half-dozen blazes threatening the city – questions about the water supply.
Wildfires currently cover more than 36,386 total acres of Los Angeles County. At least eleven people have died and more than 10,000 structures have been destroyed since the wildfires began. Governor Gavin Newsom told CNN on Wednesday that the county had “depleted all of our resources,” and that fire hydrants were completely tapped.
“Those hydrants are typical for two or three fires, maybe one fire. And then you have something at this scale,” he told Anderson Cooper.
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Disney pledges $15m to LA fire response and rebuilding after wildfires
Disney has pledged to give $15 million to help with the wildfire response and rebuilding efforts in Los Angeles.
The company will work through the American Red Cross, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, among other organizations. Disney said the company’s history was “inextricably linked to the greater Los Angeles region.”
“Walt Disney came to Los Angeles with little more than his limitless imagination, and it was here that he chose to make his home, pursue his dreams, and create extraordinary storytelling that means so much to so many people around the world,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement. “We are proud to provide assistance to this resilient and vibrant community in this moment of need.”
Source: independent.co.uk
