Washington DC [US], January 13: Los Angeles firefighters, given a brief pause from fierce winds fanning wildfires in recent days, were preparing for gusts to pick up again on Sunday, exacerbating what officials say could be one of the worst natural disasters in US history.
The US weather service forecast wind speeds of up to 110 kilometres per hour for Sunday afternoon, which, combined with dry vegetation, favours the rapid and unpredictable spread of both existing and new fires.
At least 16 people have died as major wildfires continue to ravage the Los Angeles area in the US state of California, the city's medical examiner said on Saturday. Eleven of those who have died were at the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, while five others died in the fire at the Pacific Palisades area.
There have been several major fires in the region since Tuesday, but these two are the most severe.
Officials fear the death toll may continue to rise, since it may take days before emergency services can safely access all areas impacted by the fires.
According to Cal Fire officials, some 12,300 buildings have been destroyed or damaged. Since Tuesday, almost 163 square kilometres of land have gone up in flames - a space almost the size of Washington DC.
Fire chief Anthony Marrone warned the fire threat remained high, due to strong winds, dry air and dry vegetation.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, speaking to broadcaster NBC, said the wildfires would be the worst natural disaster in US history, in terms of the "scale and scope," as well as the costs it has caused.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was among the Hollywood actors living in and around areas impacted by the fires. "Don't worry about me, or my animals, and certainly not my house," the film star and former governor of California said, asking fans to think instead of the "heroic firefighters."
At the fires rage on, attention has increasingly turned to the people fighting them, among them several hundred prisoners being paid a maximum of $10 a day for gruelling work trying to contain the blaze.
Californian authorities say the prisoners have undergone several days of training and are working voluntarily on removing flammable material and creating so-called firebreaks, or gaps in vegetation to stop the spread of fire.
They are given another $1 per hour for emergency work. Each day spent working as a rescue worker shortens the prison sentence by two days.
Only inmates who are serving a prison sentence of a maximum of eight years and are not serving time for crimes such as rape or arson may be deployed as helpers.
Source: Qatar Tribune
