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15-01-2025
LOS ANGELES: Firefighters are battling several blazes in the Los Angeles area as US officials urged residents to prepare for the return of strong winds that could “potentially cause explosive fire growth”.
Authorities say progress is being made to contain the major Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires, which have killed at least 24 people and destroyed more than 12,000 homes.
The containment efforts come as the National Weather Service issues a “red flag warning” for much of southern California, and warns Ventura and Los Angeles counties face “the extreme of extreme fire weather scenarios”.
Donald Trump has sharpened his criticism of California’s handling of the wildfires as California Governor Newsom urged the US president-elect to witness the damage in person.
Nearly 1,000 prisoners have been fighting the fires in Los Angeles County. They cut down trees and cleared land to create firebreaks to starve the blaze of fuel.
Some people have likened this use of prison labor to slavery. Inmates are paid as little as 15 cents per hour and up to a maximum of $10.24 a day.
Even though they can earn an extra dollar an hour during an active emergency, they’re paid a fraction of what their professional firefighter colleagues make. Estimates suggest they’re four times more likely to be injured or killed than professional firefighters.
Southern California Edison (SCE) has been hit by multiple lawsuits claiming its electrical equipment started one of the major wildfires currently raging in the Los Angeles area.
CEO of its parent company, Edison International, says it continues to investigate and hasn’t identified any electrical anomalies from its equipment around the time the Eaton fire broke out. Authorities haven’t determined an official cause for the fires, which roared to life last Tuesday.
“It’s pretty typical you see those when you have a spark coming from equipment,” Pedro Pizarro said during a CNBC interview when asked about Edison’s investigation into the Eaton fire.
“There could be some other mechanism here. Unfortunately, we have not been able to get close to the (power) lines yet.”
Edison’s shares were down nearly 12 percent to $57.24 on Monday. They have declined by about 27 percent since the fires broke out last week.
Where are the fires burning now?
The Eaton fire is raging in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains near Altadena Drive, Midwick Drive, and Pasadena in Los Angeles County.
The Palisades fire is located southeast of Palisades Drive and the Pacific Palisades, between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
The Hurst fire, which is now largely contained, is in the hills above the Oakridge residential community in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles.
How to protect your heath in areas affected
According to the National Weather Service, you should:
Avoid outdoor activity.
Keep windows and doors shut.
Run your air conditioner and/or an air purifier.
Do not use whole-house fans or swamp coolers that bring in outside air if you have other methods to stay cool.
Avoid other sources of pollution such as fireplaces, candles, incense, grilling and gasoline-powered lawn and garden gear. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
