By Amy Graff, Jonathan Wolfe, Claire Moses and Yan Zhuang
Firefighters racing against the arrival of more desert winds made some progress Sunday against the two biggest fires raging in Los Angeles, which have killed at least 16 people and destroyed entire neighborhoods from the inland hills to the Pacific Coast.
At least 16 other people have been reported missing in the area of the two largest fires, Sheriff Robert Luna of Los Angeles County said at a news conference, adding that he expected the number would “absolutely” rise.
Crews managed to contain more of the Eaton fire as of Sunday morning, and they had largely stopped the Palisades fire’s momentum toward a road of homes in Mandeville Canyon, a section of the Brentwood neighborhood. But the fire risk remains high in the region, and winds began picking up again Sunday morning.
A brief reprieve from the wind was expected Sunday afternoon, according to forecasters, but the kind of gusty desert winds that have propelled the fires were expected to return Monday. “Elevated, critical fire weather conditions will continue through Wednesday,” said Anthony Marrone, the Los Angeles County fire chief.
The Eaton fire, which has killed at least 11 people, now ranks among the 10 deadliest in California history. Officials have warned that the death toll is likely to rise and the full scale of the destruction is still unknown, as search teams with cadaver dogs scour burned-out neighborhoods.
About 29 people have been arrested in the fire zones, Luna said — 25 in the area of the Eaton fire, and four near the Palisades. One man was dressed like a firefighter and had been burglarizing a home, he said.
Here’s what we’re covering:
— Slow progress: Crews have contained 11% of the 23,700-acre Palisades fire and 27% of the 14,000-acre Eaton fire, in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of downtown Los Angeles, according to Cal Fire. More than 100,000 residents are still under evacuation orders, and tens of thousands more have been warned they may have to evacuate.
— Forecast: The National Weather Service said Santa Ana wind gusts early Sunday could reach 60 to 70 mph in mountain areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. They were expected to diminish in the afternoon before stronger offshore winds develop Monday night and last through Wednesday.
— Criticism from Trump: President-elect Donald Trump, who has threatened to withhold disaster assistance from California, called state officials “incompetent” on Sunday. Trump has not publicly responded to invitations from Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials who have suggested he tour the area. Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles said in a news conference Sunday that she expected Trump would ultimately visit, but that she had not spoken to him directly. Newsom told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he had extended the invitation “in the spirit of an open hand, not a closed fist.”
— Scale of destruction: The combined area burned by the past week’s fires is larger than each of the city limits of San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Boston or Miami. Together, the Eaton and Palisades fires have damaged more than 12,000 “structures,” which can refer to houses, but also cars and outbuildings.
— The victims: The identities of more people who died in the blazes have been released.
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