Death toll rises in LA fires as wind lull allows progress

What happened

Firefighters in Los Angeles County took advantage of a temporary lull in the fierce, dry Santa Ana winds over the weekend to encircle three of the wildfires ravaging the area and partially contain the Palisades and Eaton fires, the largest and most destructive conflagrations. At least 24 people have died as a result of the fires, more than 12,300 structures have been damaged or destroyed and 100,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders Monday morning.

Who said what

The fires may end up the worst natural disaster in U.S. history "in terms of just the costs associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope," Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said on NBC News Monday. And there will probably be "a lot more" deaths when all the affected areas have been searched.

The four largest fires have consumed more than 40,000 acres, or 63 square miles, an area larger than San Francisco, Boston, Miami or Pittsburgh. More than 14,000 personnel are involved in the effort to tame the fires, including hundreds of inmates and firefighters from nine other states, Canada and Mexico.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

What next?

The Los Angeles Unified School District said schools outside mandatory evacuation zones would reopen Monday, after being closed Thursday and Friday. But the National Weather Service issued a rare "particularly dangerous situation" red flag warning for parts of L.A. and Ventura counties from early Tuesday through Wednesday, saying the Santa Anas will return late Monday and continue until Thursday, raising the risks of flying embers igniting parched foliage as the strong winds prevent aircraft from dropping water and retardant on the flames.

The winds should drop Thursday, and "things are looking much cooler" for the weekend, said meteorologist Rich Thompson. "Higher humidity, just your typical sea breeze winds."