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(Bloomberg) -- Los Angeles and the rest of Southern California face a second week of fierce winds that are turning wildfires into blowtorches, putting lives at risk and destroying homes, businesses and cultural landmarks.
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Extreme fire conditions are forecast across 2,267 square miles (5,872 square kilometers) around Los Angeles Monday and Tuesday as winds rise again, whipping flames with tropical-storm-strength gusts, the US Storm Prediction Center said. An even larger area of about 9 million people is under critical conditions until Wednesday.
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High winds will limit opportunities for firefighters to make progress against the fast-moving Palisades and Eaton fires from the ground and air. The blazes have killed at least 24 people and burned down more than 12,000 buildings across over 40,000 acres in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods of Los Angeles.
“We are not in the clear as of yet and we must not let our guard down,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said Monday at a press conference.
Asked whether officials are looking at equipment owned by Edison International’s Southern California Edison utility as a possible cause of the Eaton fire, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said “the simple answer is yes, we’re looking at everything.” The utility has been asked by attorneys representing insurance companies to preserve evidence in connection with the deadly blaze.
Southern California Edison is prepared to shut off electricity if needed during the next bout of heavy winds, according to Cody Tubbs, public affairs director. About 480,000 customers are at risk of planned outages.
The fires are the third- and fourth-most destructive in state history and are the worst natural disaster to hit Los Angeles since the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which killed 57 people. The blazes are expected to rank among the costliest in modern US history. As of early Monday, the Eaton fire was 33% contained and the Palisades blaze was 14% contained.
AccuWeather Inc. has raised its estimate for damages and economic losses to between $250 billion and $275 billion, up from $135 billion to $150 billion. The commercial forecaster takes into account direct and secondary losses, such as lost wages and supply-chain disruptions.
The debris and scarred landscape also set the stage for a future disaster, since any rain that falls in the area threatens to trigger dangerous mudslides. Even as firefighters are battling the blazes, Governor Gavin Newsom has called for a plan to clear the area so that rebuilding can begin.