Los Angeles officials told most evacuees from the wildfires to stay away from their homes at least another week as emergency responders remove toxic waste from incinerated neighbourhoods and cut off electricity and gas lines posing a hazard amid the ruins.
Landslides further endangered the devastated hillsides, where leveled structures no longer hold earth in place and water from fire hoses and broken pipes has saturated the ground, adding more stress and heartache to people suffering the worst natural disaster in Los Angeles history.
With wildfires burning for a 10th day, firefighters expressed relief over withstanding recent red flag conditions of high desert winds and low humidity without either of the two monster fires growing.
But the National Weather Service warned that the respite of ocean breezes and cloud cover will be short, as hazardous fire weather was forecast to return on Sunday.
Frustrated evacuees are eager to return home to assess the damage and salvage any keepsakes or medicine, but officials said it was too dangerous or too taxing on first responders who were still dealing with the immediate disaster, which has killed at least 27 people.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said that “you can see the emotional toll that this disaster has taken on people, as I spoke to people who had lost their homes or who were not sure the status of their homes or missing pets. The toll you can see mounting on them.”
