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Los Angeles County wildfires destroy more than 1,000 structures, killing 2 people

Wildfires across Los Angeles County have destroyed more than a thousand homes, businesses and other structures and killed at least two people, making the blazes one of the most destructive in the region’s memory.

As of Wednesday morning, the Pacific Palisades Fire had scorched more than 5,000 acres and reached the Pacific Coast Highway, devouring homes along the iconic stretch. About 1,000 structures were destroyed in the fire, including many homes, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news conference Wednesday morning.

The Eaton Fire, which broke out late Tuesday, has burned more than 2,200 acres near Altadena and Pasadena, with wind gusts as high as 99 mph in the area. Malone said two people were killed in the Eaton fire, and several others were seriously injured in the Eaton and Palisades fires.

The Hurst Fire spread rapidly overnight in Sylma’s strong winds and has burned 500 acres. Unusually strong winds and gusts were reported overnight, with gusts as high as 99 mph.

Firefighters are preparing to tackle another challenging fire Wednesday fueled by strong winds. Red flag warnings remain in effect for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Thursday, with officials warning of “large, life-threatening, destructive storms.”

“We’re definitely not out of the woods yet,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said.

The National Weather Service reported wind gusts of 99 mph near Altadena at 10:20 p.m. Tuesday; 98 mph near Woodland Hills at 9:37 p.m.; and 84 mph at Hollywood Burbank Airport at 8:30 p.m.

The National Weather Service warned of “particularly hazardous conditions” in the San Gabriel Mountains, the Beverly and Hollywood Hills, coastal areas near Sepulveda Pass, the Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu and the eastern Ventura Valley. Condition”.

NWS meteorologist Rich Thompson said this could be the strongest such wind event since the 2011 storm that wreaked havoc on Pasadena, Altadena and other San Gabriel Valley communities. Severe damage caused more than 400,000 people to be without power for several days. The 2011 storm caused at least $40 million in damage, according to preliminary estimates.

“If it does develop, it could cause very specific damage,” Thompson said before the fire broke out this week. “Think of it like waves in the water. … Those winds will travel down the slope and then hit the surface and become very strong.

In Pacific Palisades, firefighters battled wind gusts of up to 100 mph throughout the night as they worked to contain blazes to the east and west, Los Angeles Fire Chief Erik Scott said.

“The strong winds in Santa Ana and the surrounding terrain fueled the fire, which made it extremely challenging for us firefighters to actually contain the fire,” Scott said. “Our first priority is life and structure defense.”

Increased winds made airstrikes against wildfires impossible Tuesday night. Severe winds forced crews to ground planes in an effort to put out the Palisades Fire shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday night.

The Eaton Fire broke out about two hours ago in the mountains above Altadena near Eaton Canyon. High winds caused officials to suspend aerial coverage of the Eaton Fire that night, officials said at 8:45 p.m.

A lack of rainfall has led to an extended fire season in Southern California. Since October 1, the start of the water year, downtown Los Angeles has received 0.16 inches of rain, a tiny fraction of the average 4.64 inches of rainfall downtown receives at this time of the season.

In contrast, Northern California experienced no such fire weather and received above-average rainfall. Since October 1, downtown San Francisco has received 10.39 inches of rain, which is above the city’s average rainfall of 9.29 inches for this time of the season.

“Southern California experienced an especially hot summer with almost no precipitation during the typical rainy season,” said Alex Hall, director of the UCLA Climate Science Center. “All of this happened during two wet years. Years later, that means there’s plenty of fuel for potential wildfires.”

After midnight Wednesday, the weather service said extreme fire conditions were expected to continue into Wednesday afternoon. “Any wildfire that occurs has the potential to spread rapidly due to extreme fire behavior,” the weather service said.

Another Santa Ana wind event is expected on Friday. But the National Weather Service said winds are expected to be “more typical,” with winds expected to come from the northeast and “concentrated in the typical Santa Ana wind corridor, from Santa Clarita Valley to Point Mugu. … Downslope winds will also be reduced. humidity and increases fire hazard.

The weather service warned that winds “will be gusty and erratic, with periods between gusts.”

Ahead of Tuesday’s fires, the National Weather Service issued a “particularly hazardous conditions” red flag warning of extreme fire weather, known by its abbreviation PDS. The weather service issued the same warning about a month ago when the Franklin Fire ignited in the Malibu area and quickly spread. The fire burned more than 4,037 acres, destroyed 20 structures and damaged 28 others.

This infographic from the National Weather Service explains red flag warnings for particularly dangerous conditions.

(National Weather Service)

A month ago, a particularly dangerous red flag warning was issued on Election Day. The next day, November 6, wildfires ignited in Ventura County and, driven by strong winds, leveled more than 240 buildings. It became the third most destructive wildfire in Southern California since 2013, burning 19,904 acres.

This type of red flag warning is expected to occur on average every three to five years. But the National Weather Service office in Oxnard has issued three such warnings this fire season alone. The office issues weather forecasts for Los Angeles County as well as Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

Prior to November, the last time the National Weather Service office issued a special hazardous conditions red flag warning for Los Angeles and Ventura counties was in 2020, and this is the first time these warnings have been issued in the region. Such warnings were issued twice in 2020 – once in October and another in December.

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