LA Fires: Race to Contain Outbreaks with Winds Set to Return

Concerns are rising that the Getty Center art museum and its priceless collections is at risk of being in the path of the Palisades Fire, the largest of 4 fires still burning. The Palisades Fire is threatening to jump over Interstate 405 into a heavily populated area.

Three of the four ongoing fires are only 15% or less contained, with concerns that fierce winds could return in the coming days. Authorities on Saturday raised the death toll in the fires to 16.

The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner published a list of fatalities without giving details of any identities. Five of the dead were found in the Palisades Fire area, and 11 in the Eaton Fire zone, the coroners document said.

Toxic smoke a threat to health
Residents in Los Angeles who have not been evacuated have been warned to stay indoors due to the smoke from the wildfires. The blazes are pushing toxic clouds into the air and are blanketing the region with fumes, health authorities have said.

"We are all experiencing this wildfire smoke, which is a mix of small particles, gasses and water vapors," Anish Mahajan of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health told a press conference.

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"It's those small particles that get into our noses and throats and cause those sore throats and headaches. Everyone in the areas where there's visible smoke or the smell of smoke, and even where you don't see that, we know that the air quality is poor, so you should limit outdoor exposure as much as possible."

While healthy individuals have been advised to stay inside and use some form of an air filtration system, the young, the old and the sick have been told to especially careful.

An N95 mask has been suggested for those working outside as it filters out small particles to stop them entering the body.

"Those who are at higher risk for bad health effects... children, the elderly, those with respiratory and heart conditions, and people with immunocompromised states, they may have worse symptoms like shortness of breath, wheezing, cough and chest pain," Mahajan explained.

That means plastics, chemicals, fuel and building materials that have burned and turned into smoke are hanging in the air.

On Friday, Los Angeles County declared a public health emergency because of the smoke, and banned the use of machines like leaf blowers that can whip up dangerous ashes.

Fires could burn until Wednesday
There is concern in Los Angeles that worsening wind conditions could mean the wildfires could burn until at least Wednesday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned on Saturday that worsening Santa Ana winds that have been predicted would pick up Saturday night into Sunday morning in both Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Winds are forecast late Monday through Tuesday morning, with sustained speeds of up to 30 mph and wind gusts up to 70 mph.

"We're in a continued period of critical fire weather through Wednesday," said NWS meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld.

Conditions were only expected to moderate by Thursday, which would be 10 days after most of the fires began.

Palisades Fire spreads, threatening densely populated areas
The Palisades Fire, the largest currently burning on the western edge of Los Angeles, headed in a new direction, spreading east to Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities, and is threatening to jump over Interstate 405 into a heavily populated area.

The Getty Center art museum and its priceless collections are under threat as fresh evacuations were ordered that covered much of the Brentwood neighborhood, as well as the foothills of the San Fernando Valley.

Firefighters on the ground have been using hoses and helicopters dumped water from the air in an attempt to beat back the flames as thick smoke blanketed the hillside.

CalFire Operations Chief Christian Litz said at a briefing that the main focus on Saturday would be the Palisades Fire.

"We need to be aggressive out there," Litz said.

Meanwhile LA County spokesman Jesus Ruiz said earlier Saturday the new flare-up was a "significant development" and that the fire was rapidly approaching a "a heavily populated area"

LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the area "had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak, and even more Angelenos evacuated due to the northeast expansion of the Palisades Fire."

Light breezes Saturday were fanning the flames, but with the National Weather Service (NWS) warning that strong Santa Ana winds could soon return, firefighters were facing a challenge to contain the more of the fire quickly.

The Santa Ana winds and persistent dry conditions have been blamed for turning the wildfires into infernos, which have leveled entire neighborhoods.

Authorities on Friday raised the death toll to at least 11 people with over 12,000 structures destroyed.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has called for a probe into water supply problems that has hampered firefighting efforts.