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Los Angeles braced for winds approaching “hurricane force” Monday, which meteorologists said could fuel devastating wildfires sweeping through Southern California as damage estimates mount.
While firefighters struggled to contain the fire Deadly fires That continued to rage in the suburbs of the second-largest city in the United States, the National Weather Service issued a “red flag warning” warning amid deteriorating conditions.
Winds of up to 75 mph are expected to batter the area Monday night into Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service, along with extremely dry conditions to create “critical fire weather.”
“The National Weather Service expects winds to be near hurricane force, so we are making urgent preparations,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Monday. “My top priority, and everyone’s priority, is to do everything we can to protect lives as these winds approach.”
Since last Tuesday, the authorities have been fighting fires that have destroyed more than 40,000 acres of land. California Governor Gavin Newsom warned that the fires could turn into a disaster The most expensive disaster in US history He clashed with President-elect Donald Trump over the state's response.
The cause of the fires has not yet been determined, but several lawsuits were filed against utility company Southern California Edison on Monday alleging that it failed to properly shut down power lines despite warnings, which led to the Eaton fire.
Shares of parent company Edison International fell 11.9 percent on Monday. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Insurance company stocks were also damaged as the expected damage increased. JPMorgan analysts estimate industry-wide losses at $20 billion, which would be the largest in the state's history.
The largest outbreaks, Pacific Barriers The fires were only 14% contained late Monday, raising concerns that strong storms in the coming days could reverse progress made in fighting the fires.
The weather service warned that “extreme fire danger” will continue through Wednesday, and said the alert category in place — “red flag warning for a particularly dangerous condition” — is for “severe fire weather scenarios.”
“In other words, this is a very bad situation,” the NWS warned, as it warned that strong winds could lead to “explosive fire growth.”
Officials said the death toll reached 24 on Monday, and is expected to rise as authorities comb through the wreckage in search of missing people.
The disaster spread to the political arena, as Trump on Sunday attacked state authorities for failing to stop the destruction. “The fires are still burning in Los Angeles, and incompetent politicians have no idea how to put them out,” he wrote on his Truth Social network.
He accused the next Republican president caA Democratic state governor, depleting water reserves to protect endangered fish species, refused to sign the Water Restoration Proclamation. Newsom's office said there was no such announcement.
“I don’t think this misinformation and disinformation is helping or helping any of us,” Newsom told NBC. Learn about journalism He indicated that he invited the president-elect to visit the affected areas, but he has not yet received a response. “To respond to Donald Trump’s insults, we will spend another month.”
Meanwhile, city officials have warned of price gougers who have raised rental property prices as thousands flee their homes.
Local news site LAist found that a Zillow listing for a furnished home in Bel Air is going for $29,500 a month — 86 percent higher than it was in September.
Cartography by Stephen Bernard
