Residents in Los Angeles are weary and anxious after a week of massive wildfires raging in the area. Facing new dire warnings, they are now preparing to evacuate with their pets and family photos as strong winds continue to fuel the fires across Southern California.
The dangerous winds, expected to reach near hurricane force in some regions, are forecasted to peak after sunrise on Tuesday. Firefighting teams have been reinforced to tackle any flare-ups or new fires that may erupt, following the destruction caused by the fires that began a week ago, claiming numerous homes and lives.
Counting up and investigating the destruction
The fires that began on Tuesday north of downtown LA have burned more than 12,000 homes, cars and other structures.
At this point, the authorities have yet to determine the official cause of these fires. Southern California Edison has mentioned that there is an ongoing investigation to establish if any of its equipment could be linked to the ignition of a smaller fire.
A lawsuit filed on Monday claims the utility’s equipment sparked the much bigger Eaton fire. Edison did not respond to a request for comment and last week said it had not received any suggestions that its equipment ignited that blaze.
AccuWeather’s early estimates suggest the fires could be the nation’s costliest ever, topping $US250 billion ($404 billion) including what’s to come in the next days. The reconstruction cost for properties inside areas with active fires could be $US15 billion ($24 billion), according to real estate data tracker CoreLogic.
