Investigators are considering an array of possible ignition sources for the huge fires that have killed at least 24 people in the Los Angeles area
After making some progress battling wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people in the Los Angeles area, firefighters are preparing for a return of dangerous winds that could again stoke the flames Monday.
Here’s the latest:
Beyonce donates $2.5 million to Los Angeles-area wildfire relief
Beyonce has contributed $2.5 million to a newly launched LA Fire Relief Fund created by her charitable foundation, BeyGOOD.
The announcement was posted on the BeyGOOD foundation Instagram account Sunday.
“The fund is earmarked to aid families in the Altadena/Pasadena area who lost their homes, and to churches and community centers to address the immediate needs of those affected by the wildfires,” the caption read.
Founded in 2013, the BeyGOOD foundation concentrates on economic equity, by “supporting marginalized and under-resourced programs,” according to its mission statement.
Last week, Beyonce’s mother Tina Knowles shared that her Malibu bungalow was destroyed in the Los Angeles-area fires.
“It was my favorite place, my sanctuary, my sacred happy place. now it is gone,” she wrote on Instagram. “God Bless all the brave men and women in our fire department who risked their lives in dangerous conditions.”
How much damage have the wildfires caused?
It’s impossible to know exactly how much damage the fires have caused at this point, but it appears they could be one of the costliest natural disasters ever in the country.
No official estimates have been released, but AccuWeather, a private company that provides data on weather and its impact, said Sunday night that it believes the fires have now caused more than $250 billion damage. And the fires continue to burn.
By comparison, AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Helene, which tore across six southeastern states last fall, at $225 billion to $250 billion. It could take several months for officials to develop any kind of official estimate of how much damage the fires caused.
Accuweather has increased its damage estimate several times since last week as more structures continue to burn.
The California wildfires could be leaving deeper inequality in their wake
The sight of celebrity mansions and movie landmarks reduced to ashes can make it seem like the wildfires roaring through the Los Angeles area affected a constellation of movie stars.
But a drive through the charred neighborhoods around Altadena shows that the fires also burned through a remarkable haven for generations of Black families avoiding discriminatory housing practices elsewhere. They have been communities of racial and economic diversity, where many people own their own homes.
Some now fear the most destructive fires in California’s history have altered that for good. Recovery and rebuilding may be out of reach for many, and pressures of gentrification could be renewed.
The number of people without power fell to about 50,000 Monday morning
But that could change in the next couple days when strong Santa Ana winds are forecast to return.
Pedro Pizarro, the president and CEO of Edison International, told “Good Morning America” his utility has warned some 450,000 customers that their power could be shut off to help keep utility lines from sparking any additional wildfires. Pizarro said the utility hasn’t been able to determine if its equipment and lines played any role in igniting the devastating wildfires that have destroyed more than 12,000 structures throughout the Los Angeles area.
Arrests have been made for looting
Looting continued to be a concern, with authorities reporting more arrests as the devastation grew. Those arrested included two people who posed as firefighters going into houses, Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Michael Lorenz said.
With California National Guard troops on hand to guard properties, Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X: “California will NOT allow for looting.”
The fires have scorched more than just landmarks and celebrity homes
While the fires have reduced a number of celebrity mansions and movie landmarks to ashes, they also burned through a haven in Altadena for generations of Black families avoiding discriminatory housing practices elsewhere. They have been communities of racial and economic diversity, where many people own their own homes.
The fires have destroyed several places of worship, including a mosque, a synagogue, a Catholic parish and a half-dozen Protestant churches.
A dad and daughter help evacuees learn whether their homes survived
A father-daughter team in the Los Angeles area are staying in their home behind the fire barricades and taking inventory of destroyed properties.
Vanessa Prata and her parents had packed up to leave their home in Altadena. Instead, the Pratas have remained in their family home of 27 years, which is somehow still standing, even as homes just over a block away burned.
And as residents who did flee are kept away by police or military barricades, Prata and her dad have taken it upon themselves to check on their neighbours’ homes.
On Friday, they posted to an Altadena community group on Facebook to say they were willing to take the addresses of people who had evacuated their homes and check on their property.
Vanessa and her father, Aluizio Prata, visited more than two dozen homes Friday and Saturday. Fewer than half are still standing.
What ignited the deadly California wildfires?
Investigators are considering an array of possible ignition sources for the huge fires that have killed at least 24 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in the Los Angeles area.
In the Pacific Palisades, officials have placed the origin of the wind-whipped blaze behind a home on Piedra Morada Drive, which sits above a densely wooded arroyo.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, lightning is the most common cause of fires in the U.S., but investigators were able to rule that out quickly. There were no reports of lightning in the Palisades area or the terrain around the Eaton Fire, which started in east Los Angeles County and has destroyed hundreds of homes.
The next two most common causes: fires intentionally set, and those sparked by utility lines.
John Lentini, owner of Scientific Fire Analysis in Florida, who has investigated large fires in California including the Oakland Hills Fire in 1991, said the size and scope of the blaze don’t change the approach to finding out what caused it.
Firefighters continue battling the flames
Crews from California and nine other states are part of the ongoing response that includes nearly 1,400 fire engines, 84 aircraft and more than 14,000 personnel, including newly arrived firefighters from Mexico.
After a fierce battle Saturday, firefighters managed to fight back flames in Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities near Pacific Palisades not far from the coast, where swooping helicopters dumped water as the blaze charged downhill.
Meghan Markle delays Netflix series launch, composer’s works lost
Several projects and awards shows have been delayed, with the Producers Guild opting not to announce its nominations Sunday due to the ongoing effects of the fire. Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, also announced she wouldn’t launch a Netflix lifestyles program until March.
The publisher of composer Arnold Schoenberg’s works says original manuscripts and scores were lost in the Los Angeles wildfires.
“We have lost our full inventory of sales and rental materials,” the company said in a statement. “We hope that in the near future we will be able to ‘rise from the ashes’ in a completely digital form. … There are some scores and performing materials for which we have digital scans.”
Meanwhile, The Screen Actors Guild has joined the Walt Disney Co., the Grammys and other entertainment entities pledging millions in relief to help those affected by the fires.
Death toll from the wildfires rises to 24
After making some progress battling wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people in the Los Angeles area, firefighters prepared for a return of dangerous winds that could again stoke the flames.
The relative calm Sunday allowed some people to return to previously evacuated areas. But even as containment increased in the worst of the fires, more bad news emerged from the ashes: The death toll surged late Sunday with an update from the Los Angeles County medical examiner. At least 16 people were missing, a number authorities said was also likely to rise.
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