The death toll from the Los Angeles fires worsens, rising to 24 .
According to the list released by the Los Angeles County medical examiner, which does not provide any identities, eight victims were found in the Palisades fire zone, 16 in the Eaton fire zone .
It also emerged overnight that the Hurst fire, one of the fires ravaging the city, may have been caused by a fault in electrical equipment at utility company Southern California Edison (SCE) , Edison International said in a press release. The company said it discovered a downed power line and a fault in a tower at about the same time the Hurst fire was first reported.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said his department, the firefighters involved, and the FBI are working to determine the causes of the other fires.
And the hell is still far from over. The Santa Ana winds, which had granted a brief respite, have strengthened and will blow violently at least until Wednesday . The authorities of the metropolis have warned that the "threat is still high" and that we cannot lower our guard.
More than 150,000 residents have been evacuated. The most worrisome fire front, according to authorities, is the Palisades fire, "a multi-headed monster with the potential to grow in multiple directions" given the thick vegetation in the area, explained fire department spokesman David Ortiz. This is 11% contained.
Then there is the second largest, the Eaton fire in the north of the city around Pasadena, which is 15% contained; the Kenneth fire is 90% contained; and the Hurst fire is 79% contained .
In addition to the pressing emergency of flames and toxic fumes - the population has been advised to leave their homes as little as possible and to wear masks even inside - there is also the scourge of looting of evacuated homes that continues, with Vice President Kamala Harris' residence in Brentwood targeted by two thugs who were eventually arrested . At least 29 people have been stopped by police for attempted theft in abandoned homes, some pretending to be firefighters, or for violating the curfew.
(Online Union)