Los Angeles is on high alert for potential catastrophic wildfires this week, as weather forecasters warn of the return of gusting Santa Ana winds, with speeds reaching up to 100 miles per hour, Starnews NG reports.
Since the first fire ignited on January 7, over 27 lives have been lost, and approximately 22,000 buildings have been destroyed across at least six major wildfires. Thankfully, calmer skies in recent days have enabled fire crews to gain control over several blazes, including the most destructive one in Pacific Palisades.
Evacuated residents have been granted permission to return briefly to their homes to retrieve medications and any possessions that may have survived the flames.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, the California Met Office issued a ‘fire weather watch’ for most of Los Angeles and surrounding counties for Monday through Wednesday. A spokesperson stated, “We expect another significant event as the Santa Ana winds pick up this weekend, bringing critical fire hazards. Some areas may experience gusts of 80 mph or higher, potentially reaching 100 mph. We are facing extreme fire danger, with winds expected to begin tonight (Sunday) and peak on Wednesday.”
Unfortunately, there is no forecasted rainfall in the area, which has seen hundreds of residents lose their homes, including high-profile individuals like Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson, and Billy Crystal.
Compounding the crisis, faults in the Los Angeles power grid have alarmingly surged in the same regions affected by the wildfires, leading to speculation that they may have contributed to the devastating situation. Bob Marshall, CEO of Whisker Labs, a company monitoring electrical activity, told Fox News that they observed spikes in faults just hours before the Eaton, Palisades, and Hurst Fires ignited.
Marshall noted that data indicated the power was not promptly shut off following these surges, potentially caused by tree limbs coming into contact with power lines. “That creates a spark in a fault, and we detect all of those things,” he explained. Other possible causes of the surges include faulty electrical equipment, sudden spikes in demand, or earthquake tremors.
In the severely affected Pacific Palisades area, there were 63 faults detected in the two to three hours leading up to the fire, with 18 occurring within the hour before it ignited on Tuesday. The Eaton Fire near Altadena experienced 317 grid faults prior to ignition, while the Hurst Fire registered around 230 faults—far exceeding the usual daily counts.
Although investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the fires, the grid faults raise the possibility that sparks ignited dry vegetation, with strong winds carrying embers across the region.
Evacuation orders for the Palisades Fire have extended to the affluent Brentwood neighborhood, home to numerous celebrities whose properties are now at risk. Early estimates suggest that rebuilding the devastated areas could cost upwards of $150 billion, according to AccuWeather. Aris Papadopoulos, founder of the Resilience Action Fund, mentioned to Fortune that, based on similar disasters, recovery could take up to a decade.
As the fires continue to spread, thousands more residents in upscale neighborhoods such as Brentwood and Encino have been forced to evacuate. High-profile homeowners include LeBron James, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Kamala Harris. LeBron James, who purchased his Brentwood mansion for $23 million in 2017, tweeted, “I pray this nightmare ends soon! So many prayers.”
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