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NYE celebration theory behind worst LA blaze

Palisades fire aftermath

Source: X/Rizwan Haider

A theory about the cause of the biggest fire to ravage Los Angeles has emerged, with reports that it may be linked to fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

The Pacific Palisades fire has torn through more than 9500 hectares and is only 14 per cent contained.

News reports say investigators are exploring the possibility it was caused by a small fire on New Year’s Eve, which burned for a few hours and was put out.

That fire was at Skull Rock, north of Sunset Boulevard, which is accessed via a short hiking trail on a mountain ridge.

The LA Times reports that a small fire burned there for several hours and was dampened by water-dropping helicopters.

It was sparked by fireworks and the newspaper reports that investigators are probing whether a new fire started there and lit the Palisades blaze.

Resident Darrin Huritz told the Times he hiked up to Skull Rock on the day of the Pacific Palisades eruption and noticed a strong smell of ash.

“The timing of this was about an hour before the fire,” he said.

“What that all means, I don’t know. Could it be possible that there were still some embers that weren’t out and the winds were kind of rustling them up?”

Skull Rock rises over Pacific Palisades. Photo: AllTrails

At least 24 people have died in what California Governor Gavin Newsom said could be the most devastating natural disaster in US history — one that has destroyed thousands of homes and forced 100,000 people to evacuate.

Flames have reduced whole neighbourhoods to smouldering ruins, levelling homes and leaving an apocalyptic landscape.

Officials said at least 12,300 structures have been damaged or destroyed.

“LA County had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said.

Aerial firefighters, some of them scooping water out of the Pacific Ocean, dropped water and retardant as land crews with hand tools and hoses held the line of the Palisades Fire as it encroached on the upscale Brentwood section and other populated areas of Los Angeles on Monday (local time).

The Eaton Fire in the foothills east of Los Angeles scorched an area almost the size of Manhattan – and firefighters increased the containment to 27 per cent, up from 15 per cent a day earlier.

North of the city, the Hurst Fire was 89 per cent contained, and three other fires that had ravaged other parts of the county were now 100 per cent contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported. Areas within the containment lines could still be burning.

Firefighters got a temporary break from the weather at the weekend as Santa Ana winds, which reached hurricane force earlier in the week, finally eased.

The dry winds originating from the inland deserts fanned flames and blew embers up to three kilometres ahead of the front lines.

But, in an area that has not received no real rain since April, the National Weather Service forecast Santa Ana winds of up to 80-112km/h would resume late on Sunday night and last until Wednesday.

Officials warned the entire Los Angeles County population of almost 10 million that anyone could be ordered to evacuate from the flames and toxic smoke.

By Sunday, more than 100,000 people in Los Angeles County had been ordered to evacuate, while another 87,000 faced evacuation warnings.

“These winds combined with low relative humidities and low fuel moistures will keep the fire threat in all of Los Angeles County very high,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.

He said evacuated areas might not be reopened until red flag conditions lifted on Thursday.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner reported 24 deaths from the fires.

Private forecaster AccuWeather has estimated the damage and economic loss at $US135 billion ($220 billion) to $US150 billion ($244 billion).

Active duty military personnel are ready to support the firefighting effort, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said on Sunday, adding the agency had urged residents to begin filing for disaster relief.

Firefighters from seven states, Canada and Mexico have already converged on the Los Angeles area to help fire departments.

In Altadena, on the edge of the Eaton Fire, Tristin Perez said he never left his home, defying police orders to evacuate as the fire raced down the hillside. Instead, Perez insisted on trying to save his property and his neighbours’ homes.

“Your front yard is on fire, palm trees lit up – it looked like something out of a movie,” Perez told Reuters from his driveway.

“I did everything I could to stop the line and save my house, help save their houses.”

His one-storey yellow duplex survived. So did two more homes next door. Across the street, entire houses burned to the ground.

“A lot of these areas still look like they were hit by a bomb,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

“There are live electrical wires, gas lines and other hazards.”

-with AAP

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