More evacuations as fire changes direction, posing new threat to Los Angeles

Seven neighbouring states, the federal government and Canada have rushed aid to California to bolster firefighting teams both in the air and on the ground.

The National Weather Service said that conditions in the Los Angeles area would improve as sustained winds slowed to about 32km/h, albeit with stronger gusts.

However, Cal Fire said there was a chance of strong winds again on Tuesday.

Homes reduced to ash

Pacific Palisades residents who ventured back to their devastated neighbourhoods were shocked to find brick chimneys looming over charred waste and burnt-out vehicles as acrid smoke lingered in the air.

“This was a house that was loved,” Kelly Foster, 44, said while combing through the rubble where her house once stood.

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Foster’s 16-year-old daughter, Ada, said she tried to get inside but “I just became sick. I just couldn’t even… Yeah, it’s hard.”

In Rick McGeagh’s Palisades neighbourhood, only six of 60 homes survived, and all that remained standing at his ranch house was a statue of the Virgin Mary.

“Everything else is ash and rubble,” said McGeagh, 61, a commercial real estate broker who, along with his wife, raised three children in their home.

Hundreds of people had streamed into a parking lot near the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena to donate clothing, nappies and bottled water.

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Billions in losses

Many Altadena residents said they were worried government resources would go to wealthier areas and that insurers might short-change those who cannot afford to contest claim denials.

Beyond those who lost their homes and businesses, tens of thousands remained without power, and millions of people were exposed to poorer air quality, as the fires lofted traces of metals, plastics and other synthetic materials.

Officials have declared a public health emergency due to the thick, toxic smoke.

Private forecaster AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic loss at $US135 billion to $US150 billion, portending an arduous recovery and soaring homeowners’ insurance costs.

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara called on insurers on Friday to suspend pending non-renewals and cancellations that home owners received before the fires began and to extend the grace period for payments.

US President Joe Biden has declared the fires a major disaster and said the federal government would reimburse 100 per cent of the recovery for the next six months.

Reuters