The wildfires inferno sweeping through Los Angeles’s upscale Bel Air neighborhood is posing an increasing threat as the death toll reached 16.
Efforts to safeguard priceless artworks at the Getty Museum in California have been intensified, and it has been disclosed that the Palisades reservoir was devoid of water when the fires broke out.
Criticism has been directed at LA mayor Karen Bass for the non-operational status of the Santa Ynez Reservoir, and there is also backlash concerning the water consumption of celebrities.
The prospect of more dry winds has prompted fresh fears about the ‘Palisades Fire’, as flames push towards the affluent districts of Bel Air and Brentwood.
The wildfires have already claimed the lives of around 16 people while burning over 37,000 acres of land and destroying 12,000 structures in its wake. At least 13 people remain missing, according to officials.
In total, an estimated 153,000 residents are under mandatory evacuation orders and about 57,000 structures remain at risk.
The acclaimed arts museum Getty Center, in the mountains above LA, is now within an evacuation warning zone as the blazes rage further onwards.
Its collection includes 125,000 artworks, among them paintings by Monet, Rembrandt, Turner and Van Gogh, as well as 1.4million documents.
The Santa Ynez Reservoir in California, pictured empty here during a drought in 2022, is said to have been ‘out of commission’ when the current LA wildfires began raging in recent days
At least 16 people have now died in the wildfires sweeping through California, officials have revealed – a helicopter is seen dropping water near the Mandeville Canyon neighbourhood
The uber-exclusive LA neighbourhood of Bel Air is feared to be facing new threats – LAFD emergency vehicles are pictured parked beside Bel Air Church as the Palisades Fire rages
There are also concerns about risks to the 125,000 artworms stored at the Getty Center art museum, in the LA mountains and seen here with smoke pluming above it
The Palisades Fire burns south of Los Angeles’s Encino Reservoir on Saturday
The museum has said in statements: ‘Getty staff, the art collections and buildings remain safe from the Palisades Fire. The threat is still happening.’
Reported defences which officials hope will help protect against any damage to artefacts include fire-resistant travertine stone, plus well as cement and steel.
Galleries can be shut off a vault-style double door, the museum says.
Meanwhile, the wildfires death toll rose to 16 as crews battled to cut off the spreading blazes before potentially strong winds return that could push the flames toward some of the city’s most famous landmarks.
Five of the deaths were attributed to the Palisades Fire and 11 resulted from the Eaton Fire, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said in a statement on Saturday evening.
The previous number of confirmed fatalities was 11, but officials said they expected that figure to rise as teams with cadaver dogs conduct systematic grid searches in leveled neighborhoods.
Authorities have established a center where people can report the missing.
There were also fears that winds could move the fires toward the J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles, while new evacuation warnings left more homeowners on edge.
Flames cross over a fire road above Mandeville Canyon during the Palisades Fire yesterday
An air tanker drops Phos-Chek flame retardant in Mandeville Canyon during the Palisades Fire
A fire fighting helicopter draws water at the Encino Reservoir in Los Angeles – there have been questions raised about the lack of availability of enough water in recent days
Crews from California and nine other states are part of the ongoing response that includes 1,354 fire engines, 84 aircraft and more than 14,000 personnel, including newly arrived firefighters from Mexico.
Meanwhile, California governor Gavin Newsom has ordered state officials to determine why a 117million-gallon (440million-litre) reservoir was out of service and some hydrants had run dry.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said city leadership failed her department by not providing enough money for firefighting.
She also criticised the lack of water, saying: ‘When a firefighter comes up to a hydrant, we expect there’s going to be water.’
LA mayor Ms Bass, 71, has ‘the most hated woman in America’ after cutting £14.4million ($17.6 million) in vital firefighting funding just weeks before the latest inferno.
The Democrat mayor was on a taxpayer-funded trip to Ghana last Tuesday despite warnings from weather experts that gusting Santa Ana winds of 80mph could spark catastrophic wildfires.
Fire chief Ms Crowley has been among her critics, saying: ‘We are screaming to be properly funded to make sure that our firefighters can do their jobs so we can serve the community. The budget cuts made our job impossible.’
