The death toll from a wildfire in America’s west coastal Los Angeles area has reached 24 and thousands of homes have been destroyed.
Meteorologists have predicted the winds to increase further this week, in view of which the fire brigade has intensified efforts to extinguish the fire.
Officials said at least 16 people were missing and the number could rise.
The National Weather Service has issued a high-level warning for severe fire conditions through Wednesday. The National Weather Service has predicted winds of up to 80 kilometers per hour in the area, with wind speeds up to 113 kilometers per hour expected in mountainous areas.
Meteorologist Rich Thompson said the fire was expected to become more intense on Tuesday.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marone said 70 additional water trucks had arrived to accelerate efforts to extinguish the fire.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said 12 people were reported missing in the fire in the Eaton area and four people were missing in the Palisades.
Luna said that many more people are expected to be reported missing on Sunday morning and officials are trying to find out how many of those who have died so far are those who have been reported missing. .
Meanwhile, the death toll from the fire has increased to 24. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office said in a statement Sunday evening that eight people died in the fire in the Palisades area, while 16 people died in the fire in the Eaton area.
Officials have expressed fear that the death toll will increase. Authorities have set up a center where information about missing people can be filed.
The fire also destroyed the Eaton Canyon Nature Area, a 190-acre protected area in the Eaton area that was a special place for many families and their children to climb, play, hike and swim.
For many parents, wildfires are devastating not just because of the loss of life, property and thousands of homes. In the years following the pandemic, this area became a natural and educational space for parents to learn something while living amidst nature.
At the same time, the weakening of winds over the weekend and the intensified efforts of the fire department have helped in controlling the fire in and around Los Angeles, but the impact of the fire on the entertainment world has not diminished.
Many film shooting projects have been affected and the Producers Guild postponed the announcement of its award nominations on Sunday due to the fire. Many other similar award ceremonies have also been affected.
‘Duchess of Sussex’ Meghan Markle announced that she will not participate in the lifestyle program on ‘Netflix’ till March and has also postponed the release of the web series of ‘Netflix’.
