Death Toll Rises to 24 in Los Angeles, Severe Fire Conditions Expected to Continue
The deadly wildfires in Los Angeles continued to burn as of Monday morning, leaving at least 24 people dead.
Late Sunday night, the county medical examiner updated their numbers to include eight deaths related to the Palisades fire and 16 in relation to the Eaton fire. Additionally, 23 people have been reported missing and more than 12,300 structures have been destroyed.
The Palisades fire is currently at 14% containment after burning 23,713 acres since Tuesday, while the Eaton fire is now 33% contained at 14,117 acres. Thankfully, the Hurst fire is 95% contained at 799 acres.
While the Santa Ana winds gave firefighters a slight reprieve over the weekend, the National Weather Service now predicts “extremely dangerous fire weather conditions to develop across coastal southern California early this week.”
Strong winds are expected to reach their peak Tuesday morning, with a Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning issued through Wednesday.
Firefighters and engines are being strategically pre-deployed in areas close to the Palisades Fire as well as various fire stations throughout the city. https://t.co/gqVdZAuT71
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) January 13, 2025
The National Weather Service has issued “Particularly Dangerous Situation” warnings four times in the last three months.
The first preceded the Mountain Fire (Ventura) – 243 structures destroyed.
The second preceded the Franklin Fire (Malibu) – 20 structures destroyed.
The…— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 13, 2025
In response, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have pre-deployed emergency service personnel to locations likely to be impacted by the worsening conditions near the Palisades fire.
Edison International president and CEO Pedro Pizarro told “Good Morning America” on Monday that 50,000 locals are without power due to the devastation, with as many as 450,000 others warned that their power could be turned off to prevent potential utility line fires in the coming days.
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