The deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles County is believed to have been caused by fireworks set off on new Year's Eve, according to the Washington Post.
Remnants of the New Year's Eve fire were likely reignited by strong winds, which made them difficult to control even six days after they were initially put out, according to an analysis of satellite images, radio communications, vides and interviews by the outlet. The deadly Palisades Fire started in the same area where firefighters put out another fire and were reportedly slower to respond to a second blaze, which eventually grew to become the most destructive wildfire to ever hit California, according to some frustrated residents.
“For the longest time, I didn’t see any police, firefighters, not on the ground or in the air. I was disappointed because the second fire was moving so fast, and there was no one there,” said Michael Valentine, who was home during the start of both fires.
A confirmed 24 people have died and 16 others are reported missing in relation to the Los Angeles area wildfires, including eight in the Palisades Fire and 16 in the Eaton fire, which is now the fifth-deadliest to ever hit the state, according to the latest update from the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner Sunday (January 12) night. The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions through Wednesday with winds forecasted to be sustained up to 50 MPH and gusts expected to reach 70 MPH, while Tuesday (January 14) is expected to be the most dangerous day, according to NWS meteorologist Rich Thompson.
“You’re going to have really strong gusty Santa Ana winds, a very dry atmosphere and still very dry brush, so we still have some very critical fire weather conditions out there,” Thompson said during a community meeting held Saturday night via the Associated Press.
Evacuation orders are currently in place for 105,000 Los Angeles residents, with 87,000 in evacuation warning zones, which means they may need to leave on short notice. More than 49,000 California residents were reported to be without power as of Monday (January 13) morning, according to PowerOutage.us.