AccuWeather in its latest estimation shared that the country may be facing financial damage of almost USD 150 billion.
The raging wildfires in Los Angeles have killed at least 10 people so far and burned nearly 10,000 homes, buildings and other structures making it one of the worst in the history of the US state. AccuWeather in its latest estimation shared that the country may be facing a financial damage of almost USD 150 billion.
Ferocious winds that drove the flames and led to chaotic evacuations calmed somewhat, though forecasters warned the high fire weather risk would continue into Friday.
The fast-moving Kenneth Fire started in the late afternoon in the San Fernando Valley just 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from a school serving as a shelter for fire evacuees and then moved into neighbouring Ventura County by the evening on Thursday.
Firefighters are battling fires that have spread across the large region, including major ones in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, which were still burning on Thursday evening.
The high fire weather risk will continue through Friday, National Weather Service Los Angeles meteorologists said Thursday afternoon in a social media post.
Santa Ana winds will be moderate to strong Thursday night, keeping the fire weather threat in the area focused on Los Angeles and Ventura County into Friday morning.
“The threat doesn't end after Friday however,” the post said. Offshore winds will continue into early next week, peaking Sunday as well as Tuesday into Wednesday.
While lightning is the most common source of fires in the U.S., according to the National Fire Protection Association, investigators were able to rule that out quickly. There were no reports of lightning in the Palisades area or the terrain around the Eaton fire, which started in east Los Angeles County and has also destroyed hundreds of homes.
The next two most common causes: fires intentionally set, and those sparked by utility lines.
John Lentini, owner of Scientific Fire Analysis in Florida, who has investigated large fires in California including the Oakland Hills fire in 1991, said the size and scope of the blaze doesn't change the approach to finding out what caused it.
“This was once a small fire,” Lentini said. “People will focus on where the fire started, determine the origin and look around the origin and determine the cause.”
So far there has been no official indication of arson in either blaze, and utility lines have not yet been identified as a cause either.
All Los Angeles Unified schools and offices will remain closed on Friday because of the fires, district Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Thursday evening.
Classes will not resume until the conditions improve, he said.
Carvalho said the district has lost two elementary schools and that one high school is significantly damaged. He also said the district's foundation is working to support district employees who have lost their homes.
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