LA crews race to halt wildfires ahead of high winds

Weather forecasters in California are warning that strong winds are expected to pick up again this week, winds that have been a major factor in the spread of fires around Los Angeles. Firefighters are racing against time on the ground to contain three wildfires and prevent them from expanding further.

On Sunday, officials warned that the Santa Ana winds, known for their dryness, would strengthen again from Sunday evening after a relatively calm weekend, with wind speeds reaching 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour). Firefighters have made some progress in controlling the Palisades and Eaton fires, which are burning at opposite ends of the city. Fire crews from eight other states, as well as Canada and Mexico, are assisting local firefighters, and more are still arriving.

At a press conference on Sunday, officials said that 16 deaths have been confirmed, with another 16 people missing. They also warned that the death toll is expected to rise as urban search and rescue teams use cadaver dogs to search through the rubble. At least 29 people have been arrested for looting in mandatory evacuation zones, and two others for impersonating firefighters and stealing from evacuees.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a press conference on Sunday that he had requested additional National Guard soldiers to reinforce the 400 already in the area. Sheriff Luna said in an interview with reporters: "When I was in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman who looked like a firefighter. I asked him if he was okay because he was sitting down. I didn't realize we had already put him in handcuffs. We're turning him over to the LAPD because he was wearing a firefighter's uniform, but he wasn't. He was just caught burglarizing. These are the things that our frontline officers and police are dealing with."

The number of evacuees has decreased, but there are still approximately 105,000 residents under mandatory evacuation orders and another 87,000 under evacuation warnings. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell said in an interview with CNN on Sunday that the threat remains. "I know a lot of people probably want to go back into the area to check on their homes, but with the winds picking up again, you never know which direction the wind is going to blow," she said.

There are currently 14,000 firefighters in the region, with another 84 aircraft and 1,354 fire engines providing assistance, Luna said. New fires continued to break out on Sunday, threatening communities in the San Fernando Valley and near the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). On Sunday, firefighters quickly stopped the spread of a new fire that broke out in the Angeles National Forest, which surrounds the heart of the U.S. space program and contains highly classified technology.

Officials have repeatedly ordered drone operators to stay away from fire zones and are now seeking information about a drone that collided with a vital aircraft. The FBI has shared a photo of a small drone that collided on Thursday with an aircraft known as a "Super Scooper," one of the most effective firefighting aircraft in the world, causing the aircraft to be temporarily grounded. The drone tore a 3-by-6-inch (8-by-15-centimeter) hole in the plane.

Officials also warned on Sunday that scammers are trying to take advantage of victims and issued a stern warning that anyone found price gouging will be prosecuted. Meanwhile, the dispute between California Governor Gavin Newsom and President-elect Donald Trump continues. Trump, who takes office on January 20, has received an invitation from the governor to come and inspect the damage caused by the fires. On Saturday, he blamed "incompetent" politicians for causing "one of the worst disasters in our nation's history." Newsom, a Democrat, has countered by accusing Trump of spreading misinformation about the fires.

Newsom called Trump's false statements "inexcusable" in an interview with NBC on Sunday. There are still three major fires burning around Los Angeles. The largest fire is the Palisades fire, which has burned 23,000 acres and is 11% contained. The Eaton fire is the second-largest fire, having burned 14,000 acres and is 27% contained. The Hearst fire has spread to 799 acres and is now almost fully contained.