LA crews race to halt wildfires ahead of high winds

Weather forecasters in California are warning fierce winds which fuelled the infernos around Los Angeles are expected to pick up again this week, as fire crews on the ground race to make progress controlling the three wildfires.

On Sunday, officials warned that after a weekend of relatively calm winds, the notoriously dry Santa Ana winds would pick up again from Sunday night until Wednesday, reaching speeds of up to 60mph (96km/h).

Progress have been made to stop the spread of the Palisades and Eaton fires, which are burning on opposite ends of the city. Local firefighters are being assisted by crews from eight other states, as well as Canada and Mexico, who continue to arrive.

In a news conference on Sunday, officials said that 16 people have been confirmed dead, and another 16 remain missing.

They also warned that the death toll is expected to rise as urban search and rescue crews sweep the ruins using cadaver dogs.

At least 29 people have been arrested for looting mandatory evacuation zones. Two people were caught posing as firefighters in order to steal from evacuees.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said in a news conference on Sunday he has requested more National Guard troops to bolster the 400 already in the area.

“When I was out there in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman that looked like a firefighter. And I asked him if he was okay because he was sitting down. I didn’t realise we had him in handcuffs,” Sheriff Luna told reporters.

“We are turning him over to LAPD because he was dressed like a fireman, and he was not. He just got caught burglarizing a home. So those are issues that our front line deputies and police officers are dealing with.”

Evacuation numbers have dropped, with around 105,000 residents still under mandatory evacuation orders and 87,000 under evacuation warnings.

Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), told CNN on Sunday that a significant threat remained.

“I know that so many people probably want to get back into the area and check on their homes, but with winds picking back up, you never know which way they’re going to go,” she said.

There are now 14,000 firefighters in the region, being assisted by 84 aircrafts and 1,354 fire engines, said Luna.

New fires continued to flare up on Sunday, threatening communities in the San Fernando Valley and near Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

On Sunday, firefighters were able to quickly stop the spread of new fires in the Angeles National Forest which surround the facility which is at the heart of the US space programme and contains top secret technology.

Officials have issued repeated orders for drone operators to not fly near fire zones, an are now seeking information after a drone crashed into a vital plane.

The FBI has shared photos of the small drone which on Thursday collided with a plane known as a “Super Scooper”, one of the world’s most affective firefighting aircrafts, briefly grounding it.

The drone ripped a 3-by-6-inch (8-by-15cm) hole in the plane.

Officials on Sunday also warned of scammers seeking to take advantage of victims, and issued a stern warning that anyone caught price gouging will be prosecuted.

Meanwhile the spat between California Governor Gavin Newsom and President-elect Donald Trump continues.

Trump, who takes office on 20 January and has been invited by the governor to come tour the fire damage, on Saturday blamed “incompetent” politicians for “one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our country”.

Newsom, who is a Democrat, has in turn attacked Trump for sharing misinformation about the fires.

In an interview on Sunday with NBC, Newsom called Trump’s false claims “inexcusable”.

Three conflagrations continue to burn around Los Angeles.

The largest fire is the Palisades, which has now burnt through 23,000 acres and is 11% contained.

The Eaton fire is the second biggest and has burnt through 14,000 acres. It is 27% contained.

The Hurst fire has grown to 799 acres and has been almost fully contained.