California Governor Gavin Newsom said the wildfires in California could be the “costliest disaster in US history,” as forecasts of high winds raised fears that the catastrophic blazes could spread further.
The California governor told NBC that the fires — which have scorched more than 40,000 acres, according to the state’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection — will be the worst the country has ever seen “in terms of the costs associated with them, the size and the scope,” and have left 24 people dead in a preliminary toll, according to Los Angeles authorities. The governor said there are likely to be “a much higher number” of confirmed deaths.
“We know that critical fire conditions will continue through Wednesday,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Maroney said, noting that “the winds combined with dry conditions will keep the fire threat in the Los Angeles area at a high level.”
Despite the efforts of thousands of firefighters to contain the flames, the Pacific Palisades Fire expanded last Saturday to northwest Los Angeles, threatening the densely populated San Fernando Valley as well as the Getty Museum and its priceless artworks.
The fires have destroyed entire parts of the second largest American city, destroying more than 12,000 structures, a number that includes buildings as well as cars, according to the authorities on Saturday.
A large number of residents have begun to question the effectiveness of the authorities’ management of the crisis, especially since firefighting teams have sometimes found themselves facing empty water tanks or suffering from low water pressure.
On Sunday, US President-elect Donald Trump launched a new attack on California state leaders.
He wrote on his platform “Truth Social” that “the fires are still burning in Los Angeles, and the incompetent politicians have no idea how to put them out.”
The potential for stronger Santa Ana winds, common in California’s fall and winter, which have fanned the flames has prompted evacuation orders for tens of thousands of residents as the blazes threatened homes in the upscale Mandeville Canyon and Brentwood neighborhoods, though officials said they were making progress in stopping the flames there.
The winds are a nightmare for firefighters because California has had two particularly wet years, reviving vegetation that has been dying off due to the region’s dry winter.
