Wind gusts, humidity may test firefighters battling Los Angeles blazes

By Reuters
January 16, 2025
Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire as it burns during a windstorm on the west side of Los Angeles, California, US January 8, 2025. — Reuters

LOS ANGELES, United States: The threat of powerful wind gusts, combined with bone-dry humidity, in Los Angeles on Wednesday could test firefighters who have been battling to keep monstrous fires in Los Angeles in check since last week.

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Some 6.5 million people in the Los Angeles area were under a critical fire threat as winds were forecast to be 20 to 40 miles an hour with gusts up to 70 mph and humidity dropping into the single digits, the National Weather Service said.

The death toll from the fires rose by one on Tuesday to 25, according to the Los Angeles medical examiner’s office. The estimate of structures damaged or destroyed held steady at over 12,000, portending a Herculean rebuilding effort ahead.

Entire neighbourhoods have been leveled, leaving smoldering ash and rubble. In many homes, only a chimney is left standing.

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