Fire-hit LA faces new peril as dangerous winds ramp up

by Huw GRIFFITH

Hot, powerful winds Tuesday threatened to rekindle and whip up major fires that have devastated the hills and suburbs of Los Angeles, killing at last 24 people and changing the face of America's second biggest city forever.

A week after blazes erupted and spread uncontained, forecasters predicted "particularly dangerous" dry Santa Ana winds would spike the wildfire threat for already exhausted firefighters.

"Stay aware of your surroundings. Be ready to evacuate. Avoid anything that can spark a fire," the National Weather Service warned.

A large part of Southern California was under a Red Flag warning, indicating that intense dryness and furious winds would make conditions ripe for wildfire.

Part of Los Angeles County and much of neighboring Ventura County were in a "Particularly Dangerous Situation," according to the NWS, a designation that was also declared before last week's deadly blazes erupted.

Officials insisted they were poised, with Los Angeles city fire chief Kristin Crowley telling reporters a huge firefighting operation was well placed.

"I have strategically pre-positioned engine strike teams and task forces which are dedicated to rapid response for any new fire that breaks out," she said.

The renewed danger comes with 24,000 acres (9,700 hectares) of the upmarket Pacific Palisades in ruins and 14,000 acres of the city of Altadena badly charred.

More than 90,000 evacuees are desperate to get back to their homes -- or even just to see if anything at all survived.

"My house is gone, I know that. I've seen pictures and all that's left is the chimney. But I need to see it by myself to believe it," Fred Busche told AFP.

Among the desperation, there were stories of fortitude.

Jeff Ridgway told how he had refused to abandon the apartment complex he manages, defending it against the fires by hauling buckets of water from the pool.

"It was just a war," the 67-year-old told AFP, pointing to a eucalyptus tree he extinguished when it caught fire and threatened the building last week.

"But I was just stubborn. I was like: 'I'm not going to be defeated by you. I'm sorry, this is just not gonna happen.'"

- A 'different experience' -

Search teams using cadaver dogs have been scouring the rubble for days, with Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna saying he expected more victims would be unearthed.

"Every day we're doing this, we're running across the remains of individual community members," he said.

"I believe we'll continue to find remains."

With so many in dire straits, the city was clutching for any sliver of good news.

That was offered by the Los Angeles Rams, who beat the Minnesota Vikings in an NFL play-off game on Monday night to take them one step closer to the Super Bowl.

The game, which had been scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, was moved to Arizona to relieve pressure on stretched law enforcement.

Basketball fans also had a welcomed diversion from the fires when the Lakers played the San Antonio Spurs at home, although they lost 102-126.

The Lakers were among a dozen city sports clubs -- also including the Dodgers baseball team -- that have pledged $8 million toward wildfire relief.

The mainstay entertainment industry was also stepping up, with major studios and streamers including Netflix, Disney, Amazon, Warner and Universal parent company Comcast having all announced eight-figure donations to the recovery effort.

But there were also many stories of individual generosity.

At a converted parking lot in Arcadia, 600 people showed up in a single day to distribute donated supplies to evacuees, organizers said.

Many had been redirected from other shelters that also could not accommodate the extra help.

"It's a very different experience than any other volunteering that I typically do. Because there's really no difference between the people that are helping and the people that are being helped," said 19-year-old student Gianna Karkafi.

"It's just, like, luck."

© Agence France-Presse