Californians on Friday demanded to know who is at fault for the vast devastation caused by the raging Los Angeles wildfires, as a strict curfew went into force to prevent looting and lawlessness.
At least 11 people died as flames ripped through neighborhoods and razed thousands of homes in a disaster that US President Joe Biden likened to a “war scene.”
While Angelenos grapple with the heart-rending ruin, anger has risen over officials’ preparedness and response, particularly for a series of false evacuation alarms and after hydrants ran dry as firefighters battled the initial blazes.
Photo: Getty Images/AFP
Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered a “full independent review” of the city’s utilities, describing the lack of water supplies during the initial fires as “deeply troubling.”
Residents such as Nicole Perri, whose home in the upscale Pacific Palisades burnt down, told AFP that officials “completely let us down.”
A flare-up late on Friday prompted new mandatory evacuations from ritzy neighborhoods along the fire’s eastern flank, which include the famous Getty Center.
Meanwhile, as fears of looting grow, a sunset-to-sunrise curfew took effect in evacuated areas.
About two dozen arrests have already been made across Los Angeles, where some residents have organized street patrols and kept armed watch over their own houses.
“If we see you in these areas, you will be subject to arrest,” Los Angeles Police Department chief Jim McDonnell said.
Those who contravene face up to six months in prison or US$1,000 fines, he said.
The National Guard has been deployed to bolster law enforcement.
Five separate fires have so far burned more than 15,000 hectares, destroying about 10,000 buildings, California’s fire agency reported.
Winds calmed on Friday, providing a much-needed window of opportunity for firefighters battling blazes around the clock for a fourth consecutive day.
At the biggest of the blazes, in Pacific Palisades and Malibu, firefighters said they were starting to get the fire under control, with 8 percent of its perimeter contained.
Meanwhile the Eaton Fire in the Altadena area was 3 percent contained, with fire chief Jason Schillinger reporting “significant progress” in quelling the blaze.
A third fire that exploded on Thursday afternoon near the Hidden Hills enclave, home to celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, was 50 percent surrounded.
Emergency chiefs warned the situation is “still very dangerous” and reprieve from the intense gusts that spread embers would not last.
Authorities have said it was too early to know the cause of the blazes.
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