A pause in the strong winds fuelling deadly wildfires in and around Los Angeles has provided a chance for crews to make progress in their fight against the blazes, which have devastated several areas across the United States’s second-largest city.
Five separate fires had burned more than 14,000 hectares (35,000 acres) by Friday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.
Officials say the two largest — the Palisades and Eaton fires — already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history.
“We are doing everything we can to bring the situation under control, and success has been reported,” the city’s mayor, Karen Bass, said during a news conference.
“We know that we’re going to have a possible increase in the force of the winds at the beginning of next week, and getting Los Angeles prepared — doing everything we can to save lives — that is our number one job.”
On Friday morning, the Palisades Fire in the coastal Pacific Palisades neighbourhood was 8 percent contained, while the containment of the Eaton Fire in the community of Altadena was at 3 percent, according to Cal Fire.
“It’s not as gusty, so that should help firefighters hopefully,” National Weather Service meteorologist Allison Santorelli said of the forecast, adding that fire conditions were still critical with low humidity and dry vegetation.
But any ease-up in the wind patterns is expected to allow firefighters on the ground to get crucial support, with aircraft able to drop water and fire retardant on the flaming hills. “There’s a bit of good news, if there can be,” Santorelli said.
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