Los Angeles Faces Little Relief From Wildfires as Winds Persist

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(Bloomberg) — Dry, hot winds will fan fires in Los Angeles through midweek — and some forecasts show little relief for the rest of the month — as Southern California suffers one of the worst starts to wildfires in a year.

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While good progress has been made in extinguishing two smaller fires in the area, the largest was burning nearly out of control on Sunday, even as thousands of firefighters battled the inferno in what the city’s fire chief described as a “relentless aerial attack.” Firefighters from across the United States, as well as Canada and Mexico, gathered in California to help fight the flames.

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The weather has proven to be a formidable enemy. Red flag fire warnings are in place through Wednesday as winds sweep through the region, spreading fires, turning vegetation into fuel and making water dropped from planes less effective. The U.S. Storm Prediction Center said more than 8.4 million people will face wildfire conditions on Sunday, and that risk will continue for several days, with no rain in the forecast.

A stagnant pattern of high pressure and low pressure across the west created a natural funnel of wind blasting over Southern California.

“It’s a catastrophic pattern and there’s not much chance of it changing,” said Bob Oravec, a senior forecaster at the U.S. Weather Prediction Center. “If anything it appears to be reloading across the West and the situation appears to be getting worse by the end of the month.”

The expanded evacuation zones include the affluent neighborhoods of Brentwood and Bel Air, as well as some of Los Angeles’ most important cultural institutions. The Getty Center, an architectural landmark housing a world-class art collection, features a fire-resistant design that can be tested.

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The destruction led to the deaths of 16 people as of Saturday evening. Eleven died in Altadena from the Eaton Fire, while five died in the Palisades Fire.

Officials said 13 people were missing. Another 19 were arrested in the Eaton fire and three others in Palisades for curfew violations, burglary and looting. Regional Director Bob Fenton said more than 16,000 people have applied for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

By late Saturday, the Palisades Fire near Malibu had burned 23,654 acres and was just 11% contained, while the Eaton Fire near Pasadena had burned 14,117 acres and was 15% contained, officials said. More than 10,000 structures were destroyed in the two fires, making them the third and fourth most destructive in state history.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday issued an executive order aimed at helping Los Angeles rebuild faster once the fires are contained. The order suspends certain state environmental regulations and permits, including the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Act, to speed the rebuilding of homes and businesses in affected areas. Newsom also extended Los Angeles County’s price gouging protections through January 2026.

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The fires threaten to exacerbate a region already suffering from some of the highest housing costs in the United States, with the governor warning that delays in rebuilding could exacerbate homelessness and increase housing prices.

“When the fires are extinguished, victims who lost their homes and businesses should be able to rebuild quickly and without roadblocks,” Newsom said in a statement.

On NBC’s Meet the Press, the governor said: “We have to think three weeks, three months, three years ahead while focusing on the urgent matters, which is the safety of life and property.”

At least 101 fires started this month, higher than last year’s 39 and the five-year average of 46, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.

In addition to the threats to residents, UCLA told students and staff that all classes will be remote until at least Jan. 17, and that the entire campus is operating under emergency conditions, according to its website.

At least 17,587 emergency responders joined the fight. Newsom also announced Saturday that he had doubled the number of National Guard personnel working fires to 1,680 responders. In total, the state deployed more than 14,000 people to support firefighting efforts.

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California officials invited President-elect Donald Trump to tour areas affected by the fires, but he did not respond to them publicly. His employees did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The fires also put pressure on utilities, which preemptively cut off electricity to residents. Lawyers representing the insurance companies have asked Edison International’s Southern California power utility to preserve evidence related to the Eaton fire.

Edison also said fire agencies are investigating whether the company’s equipment was involved in the ignition of the smaller Hearst fire near San Fernando. “At this time, we have no evidence to suggest that the Hearst fire was caused by our equipment, but there is a lot of investigation that needs to be done,” Southern California Edison President and CEO Stephen Powell told reporters on Saturday.

As of Sunday, 63,485 customers were without power, PowerOutage.us said.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell announced Saturday that the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is investigating the fires.

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California has a history of devastating wildfires sparked by electrical utility equipment during wind storms. The state’s largest utility, PG&E Corp., filed for bankruptcy in 2019 after a series of deadly fires blamed on its wires.

These fires are the most devastating natural disaster to hit Los Angeles since the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which killed 57 people, and are likely to be among the costliest natural disasters in modern US history. Trade forecasting firm AccuWeather estimates that direct and secondary losses, representing uninsured devastation and indirect economic impact such as lost wages and supply chain disruption, could reach $135 billion to $150 billion.

– With assistance from Sarah McGregor.

(Updates with Newsom’s executive order beginning in paragraph 10)

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