LOS ANGELES — (AP) — Weary and anxious from a week of massive infernos burning around Los Angeles and now facing dire new warnings, residents gathered up their pets and family photos and prepared to flee at a moment's notice as fire-fueling winds blasted Tuesday across Southern California.
The dangerous winds, predicted to reach near hurricane-force in some areas, were likely to peak shortly after sunrise Tuesday. A beefed-up firefighting force was staged to attack flareups or new blazes, a week after the first still-burning fires began and destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people.
Tabitha Trosen packed the meaningful things in her life and was “teetering” on the edge, constantly fearing her neighborhood could be next.
“Our cats are ready to go, we have their carriers by the door prepped with their little stuffed animals and things like that,” Trosen said. “It’s like, how do I take care of myself, and what are the things that will ground me as a human and remind me of my background and my life and my family.”
Dry winds gusted early Tuesday up to 50 miles per hour (80 kph) in the mountains around LA, said meteorologist Todd Hall of the National Weather Service. Strong winds forecasted to continue through midday Wednesday could carry fire-sparking embers miles ahead of the fire lines or trigger fire tornadoes, he said.
Much of Southern California was under an elevated fire risk on Tuesday, affecting more than 20 million people from San Diego to far north of Los Angeles.
Right in the bullseye are inland areas north of LA, including densely populated Thousand Oaks, Northridge and Simi Valley, forecasters said.
The weather service issued a rare warning: The winds, combined with severely dry conditions, have created such a "particularly dangerous situation" that any new fire could explode in size.
On Monday, planes doused homes and hillsides with bright pink fire-retardant chemicals, while crews and fire engines deployed to particularly vulnerable spots with dry brush. Dozens of additional water trucks rolled in to replenish supplies after hydrants ran dry last week when the two largest fires erupted.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other officials — who have faced criticism over their initial response to fires that began last week — expressed confidence Monday that the region was ready to face the new threat with scores of additional firefighters brought in from around the U.S., as well as Canada and Mexico.
"We're absolutely better prepared," LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said when asked what will be different from a week ago, when hurricane-force winds propelled multiple fires across the parched, brush-filled region that has seen almost no rain in more than eight months.
Although winds were not expected to reach hurricane-force like last week, they could ground firefighting aircraft, Marrone said, warning if winds reach 70 mph (112 kph), "it's going to be very difficult to contain that fire."
More than a dozen wildfires have broken out in Southern California since the beginning of the year, mostly in the greater Los Angeles area.
The latest started Monday night in a dry riverbed in an agricultural area of Oxnard, northwest of Los Angeles. It tore through tall brush before firefighters stopped its progress, the Ventura County Fire Department said.
Fire officials advised residents in high-risk areas to just leave home — and not wait for formal evacuation orders — if they sense danger.
That’s exactly what Tim Kang of La Crescenta did last week after the fires started. Feeling sick from the smoky air and fearful of nearby fires spreading, Kang and his brothers packed up and have stayed away from their neighborhood.
“Everything just felt like, ‘Oh man, the world’s ending,’” said Kang, who's staying with his girlfriend in Pasadena.
The four fires around the nation’s second-biggest city have scorched more than 63 square miles (163 square kilometers), roughly three times the size of Manhattan.
The Eaton Fire near Pasadena was roughly one-third contained, while the largest blaze in Pacific Palisades on the coast was far less contained.
The death toll is likely to rise, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Monday. At least two dozen were missing, he said.
Luna said he understands that people are eager to return to their homes, but he asked for their patience.
"We have people literally looking for the remains of your neighbors,” he said.
At a Monday evening community meeting about the Palisades Fire, a Los Angeles Police Department official said many people reported as missing had been found.
Just under 100,000 in Los Angeles County remained under evacuation orders, half the number from last week.
Beyoncé, Disney and other celebrities and entertainment organizations have pledged millions to help those who have been displaced or lost their homes. Other stars — and ordinary people — have left large donations of clothing and other items along street corners in around the city.
Dozens of people have been arrested for looting. Officials are now starting to see price gouging and scams, including with hotels and short-term rentals and medical supplies, said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
The fires that began Tuesday north of downtown LA have burned more than 12,000 homes, cars and other structures.
Authorities haven’t determined an official cause for any of the fires. Southern California Edison has acknowledged agencies are investigating whether its equipment may have started a smaller blaze.
A lawsuit filed Monday claims the utility's equipment sparked the much bigger Eaton Fire. Edison did not respond to a request for comment and last week said it had not received any suggestions that its equipment ignited that blaze.
AccuWeather's early estimates suggest the fires could be the nation's costliest ever, topping $250 billion including what's to come in the next days. The reconstruction cost for properties inside areas with active fires could be $15 billion, according to real estate data tracker CoreLogic.
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Watson reported from San Diego and Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press journalists Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles, Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, Julie Walker in New York, Sophia Tareen in Chicago, Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, and Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyoming, contributed.
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