Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, had invited Trump to visit last week after the Republican president-elect criticized Newsom and other Democratic officials for what he said was water mismanagement that contributed to the fires.
Several fires have blackened vast areas of completely dry vegetation and devastated urban neighborhoods.
The large Eaton and Palisades fires, which are still active, have devastated about 16,200 hectares. They are, respectively, 73% and 43% contained, according to the official CalFire website.
As firefighting efforts moved forward this weekend, thousands of evacuated residents prepared to return to their homes, while others still faced the stress of uncertainty.
“Hopefully they will call us soon to come back,” said Winston Ekpo, a 53-year-old teacher, whose home survived the Altadena fire but suffered smoke damage.
“We want to be able to get the smoke out and maybe get some (air) purifiers and check the attic,” he said. AFP. Ekpo, his wife and children have been living in a shelter for the past 10 days.
Search and rescue teams, aided by canine units, have been combing the smoldering ruins of neighborhoods for possible victims in Altadena, just north of Los Angeles, and Malibu, on the Pacific coast.
On Friday, mounted patrol units expanded the search to some of the area’s steepest and least accessible slopes.
Record drought
An extensive logistical effort is underway to contain the fires, prevent new outbreaks, and restore regular life for the thousands of affected Californians.
Every day, hundreds of trucks travel the roads of Altadena, Malibu and the hillside suburb of Pacific Palisades, carrying workers who come to clear vegetation, restore power and communication lines and inspect the area for of fuel or water leaks.
The causes of the fires remain under investigation, although experts have pointed to a deadly combination: two years of heavy rains that caused rapid vegetation growth, followed by a near-record drought that made the vegetation flammable for fires, aggravated by almost hurricanes. Strong winds hit the area, making containment of the fire almost impossible.
Downtown Los Angeles, for example, has received less than a tenth of an inch (0.25 cm) of rain in 255 days, surpassing a record set in 2008, the National Weather Service reported.
Alex Tardy of the meteorological agency said AFP When you combine the four recent Santa Ana wind events with what is expected in the coming days and add the conditions on the ground, “we have not seen such fire danger and dry vegetation in modern records.”
That doesn’t necessarily guarantee there will be more fires in the near future, he said.
But if there is, there will be “potential for more explosive and rapid rates of spread.”
– Agence France-Presse
