National Weather Service issues Red Flag Warning through Wednesday in southern California as windy conditions continue to spread blazes and complicate containment
The death toll in the wildfires devastating the Los Angeles area was raised to at least 16 people — up from the previously reported 11 — the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner announced Saturday night.
Five of the deaths were attributed to the Palisades Fire, while 11 resulted from the Eaton Fire, officials added. However, the death toll is expected to rise when cadaver dogs comb through the affected areas; at least 13 additional people have been reported missing, L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said Sunday.
Strong winds sweeping through L.A. continue to spread the wildfires as well as complicate containment, with the biggest blaze — the Palisades fire — only 11 percent contained, fire officials estimated. Evacuation orders have moved eastward, with Brentwood and Encino residents now among the over 150,000 people displaced by the wildfires.
Additionally, the National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning through Wednesday, with the Santa Ana winds threatening to spread the wildfires in the rain-starved region. “If fire ignition occurs, conditions are favorable for very rapid fire spread and extreme fire behavior,” the NWS said Saturday.
The first blaze erupted in the Pacific Palisades, a coastal area west of Los Angeles; additional fires have since cropped up in the Eaton Canyon area and the northern part of the San Fernando Valley.
Spurred by windstorms and fueled by dry vegetation, the fires have shown few signs of slowing down. Both natural factors and dwindling resources have hindered the ability of firefighters to contain and combat the blazes.
Numerous celebrities have also lost their homes, including Mandy Moore and Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith, Billy Crystal, Jhené Aiko, and Jeff Bridges.
