Law enforcement and prosecutors are geared up for scammers who are expected to exploit relief for victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires.
Palisades Fire initially started 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County. It has burned 23,448 acres after being active for 19 days. A crew of 1,859 firefighters has been working on site and they managed to contain 87% of the fire by Sunday morning. The blaze's cause remains under investigation.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said Tuesday that “life-threatening and destructive and widespread winds” are in the region, which could fuel the growth of new or existing wildfires in Los Angeles County and Ventura County.
After a weekend of reprieve allowing fire teams to continue making progress battling the deadly infernos burning in Los Angeles County, Southern California now faces another round of fire-fueling Santa Ana Winds Monday.
Dozens of people are believed to have died in the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have burned down whole swaths of communities
The California fires have caused at least ... is very different from the situation we were in 16 days ago," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said Wednesday evening.
Palisades Fire initially started 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County. It has burned 23,448 acres after being active for 17 days. A crew of 2,420 firefighters has been working on site and they managed to contain 77% of the fire by Friday morning. The blaze's cause remains under investigation.
The National Weather Service says gusty weather was expected to last through Thursday and precipitation was possible starting Saturday.
Firefighters made progress on the more than 10,000-acre Hughes Fire Friday, which sent thousands fleeing after sparking near the Los Angeles County community of Castaic a day earlier.
Thousands of firefighters are battling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County. About 92,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders and another 89,000 are under evacuation warnings.
Palisades Fire initially started 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County. It has burned 23,713 acres after being active for nine days. A crew of 4,471 firefighters has been working on site and they managed to contain 27% of the fire by Thursday evening. The blaze's cause remains under investigation.