The number of deaths linked to the devastating wildfires ripping across Southern California doubled overnight, bringing the total to 10, as firefighters and first responders continued their race to contain the flames, which have already burned through entire neighborhoods and forced nearly 200,000 people to evacuate.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna has warned that the grim figure will likely rise as firefighting efforts continue across Los Angeles. He added that while the full scope of the destruction wrought by the fast-moving flames remains unclear, it is undoubtedly widespread.
It “looks like a bomb, an atomic bomb dropped in these areas,” he told reporters. “I don’t expect good news, and we’re not looking forward to those numbers.”
The office of the Los Angeles County medical examiner confirmed late Thursday it is investigating 10 fire-related deaths, but provided few other details. It also warned it could take weeks to identify some of the victims, as “traditional means of identification such as fingerprinting and visual identification may not be available and will add more time for naming these decedents.”
Earlier in the day, officials confirmed five deaths, including one from the Pacific Palisades fire. The blaze initially sparked around 10:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, just southeast of Palisades Drive. It has since burned through nearly 20,000 acres, destroying approximately 5,300 structures, including homes, apartment buildings and businesses.
As of late Thursday, it was only about 6% contained, according to Los Angeles County Fire’s most recent update.
At least another four people were found dead in the Eaton Fire, which has ripped through approximately 13,690 acres, destroying some 5,300 structures, since it first broke out on Tuesday.
The pair of wildfires, now considered some of the most destructive in Los Angeles history, are just two of five burning across the Los Angeles area, all of them located in a roughly 25-mile band north of downtown.
The newest blaze, dubbed the Kenneth Fire, broke out late Thursday afternoon in the San Fernando Valley and has already consumed some 800 acres. The Lidia and Hurst fires have meanwhile burned through a combined 1,000 acres.
Approximately 8,000 fire personnel have been deployed to battle back the flames, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a press release, and they have faced no shortage of obstacles in their efforts, key among them dry and windy conditions in the area. First responders were granted a brief reprieve from the Santa Ana winds on Thursday, but they are set to return on Friday and persist through the weekend.
The fast-spreading fires have triggered evacuation orders for more than 180,000 resident across southern California and another 200,000 are under evacuation warnings.
With News Wire Services
