Wildfires erupted across Los Angeles County in California this past week, destroying more than 60 square miles of the city and claiming at least 24 lives over the course of five days. After a relatively calmer weekend, the dry Santa Ana winds that first fuelled the fire’s spread around the city are expected to strengthen once again and persist through Wednesday.
Despite the ceaseless efforts of firefighters, wind speeds of up to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) have fanned the flames, with the largest fires spreading from the Palisades neighborhood toward Brentwood and the densely populated San Fernando Valley.
Per meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld of the U.S. National Weather Service, the situation is expected to deteriorate rapidly come Tuesday when wind speeds may hit 70 mph (112 kph). They have issued a rare “particularly dangerous situation” alert effective 4 a.m. local time through midday on Wednesday, warning the public of extreme conditions.
According to firefighters, the increased winds could further fan the flames and carry embers from existing fires to new areas. LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said his department has received dozens of water tankers and additional firefighting crew and are prepared to respond to any new threats.
Officials say more than 150,000 people are under evacuation orders, with 700 people already in shelters. Evacuees expressed frustration, saying they wished to visit their homes to retrieve important medications and pets. However, due to strong winds, dangerous rubble conditions, and the need to search for bodies, Sheriff Robert Luna suspended escorts into the area on Sunday.
Individuals posing as firefighters in order to steal from evacuees resulted in multiple arrests for looting in evacuation zones. A nighttime curfew has been extended for the evacuated area and Luna has requested additional resources from the California National Guard to support the 400 already deployed.
Southern California is home to nearly a quarter of the overall Taiwanese American population in the U.S.. Greater Los Angeles represents the largest Taiwanese community in the country, at 167,000 residents as of the 2020 census report.