Death rate due to devastating California wildfires climbs to 24
Date
1/13/2025 2:39:08 AM
(MENAFN) On Sunday, the death rate from demoralizing wildfires destroying the US state of California climbed to 24.
The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office reported they are probing more than 24 deaths connected to two huge wildfires that have been fuming in Southern California since last Tuesday.
Officials also declared that 16 deaths were due to the Eaton fire and the remaining eight were attributed to the Palisades fire. Those figures are estimated to increase, as the medical examiner stated that they cannot verify human remains until they are processed at their facility.
Additionally, over 150,000 citizens have been evacuated, with additional 87,000 in evacuation warning areas. At least 12,000 houses and companies have been completely destroyed by fire, with the wildfires up to now burning more than 60 square miles (155 square kilometers).
"Initial aerial assessments estimate 5,316 structures for the Palisades Fire and over 7,000 structures destroyed from the Eaton Fire," the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) noted in a report.
"These initial numbers make the Eaton and Palisades fires likely the second and fourth most destructive fires in California's history respectively," it further mentioned.
Firefighters are still fighting the devastating fires, which have been triggered by persistence heavy winds in the area with wind gusts between 30 to 70 miles (48 to 112 kilometers) per hour. Due to those dangerous circumstances, a fire warning still in power until Wednesday and evacuation orders have been prolonged until at least Thursday. Dusk to dawn curfews also are still active as police take strong measures against looting in the area.
"We're not out of the woods yet. We have some very significant fire weather ahead of us," stated Nancy Ward, the director of the California Office of Emergency Services, at a press briefing.
MENAFN13012025000045015839ID1109082630
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.