The National Weather Service issued an alert, warning that the combination of dry winds and parched conditions has created a “particularly dangerous situation”, suggesting that any fresh fires could rapidly expand.
Starting on January 7, the Los Angeles wildfires have killed at least 25 people, reported HT. The Santa Ana winds, which began sweeping across the mountains before dawn, are expected to persist until Wednesday morning. These gusts can transport fire-igniting debris across considerable distances, potentially triggering new blazes in the area, reported ET.
Ominous Forecast
The National Wildfire Service issued a "particularly dangerous situation" red flag warning starting at 3 a.m. and continuing until 3 p.m. on January 15. The warning covers an area from the Central Coast, 275 miles (443 kilometers) south to the border with Mexico, as wind intensity is predicted to increase. The alert was in effect for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
PowerOutage.us, a national outage monitoring website for the U.S., indicated that roughly 85,000 customers in Southern California were experiencing power cuts on the morning of January 12, reported ET. As wind speeds increase throughout the day, the utilities may need to implement preventive power shutoffs to prevent their lines from initiating new fires.
One of the Costliest Wildfires in US History
AccuWeather has revised and increased its preliminary estimate of the total damage and economic loss between $250 bn and $275 bn.
“These fast-moving, wind-driven infernos have created one of the costliest wildfire disasters in modern U.S. history,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said to AccuWeather. “Hurricane-force winds sent flames ripping through neighborhoods filled with multi-million-dollar homes. The devastation left behind is heartbreaking, and the economic toll is staggering," Porter added.
Porter further highlighted that the latest damage and economic estimate for the fires burning in Southern California has surpassed economic losses for the entire 2020 wildfire season, another active U.S. wildfire season.
The damage and economic loss in Los Angeles has exceeded the Maui wildfires in 2023, which were reportedly $13 bn to $16 bn. The losses have also surpassed the $225 to $250 bn estimate for damages and economic loss from 2024's Hurricane Helene. Investigators are still trying to find the cause of the fires which are forecast to become the country’s costliest wildfire disaster ever, reported The Guardian.
