Southern California residents brace for final round of Santa Ana winds as fires concerns remain

Residents of Southern California are bracing for another wave of powerful Santa Ana winds, as firefighters work to contain two of the largest wildfires in the region.

Thousands evacuated and structures destroyed

Since last Tuesday, approximately 150,000 people in Los Angeles County have been evacuated due to the Palisades and Eaton fires. The blazes have displaced tens of thousands and destroyed more than 12,000 structures.

Deisy Suarez, whose home was lost to the fires, described the emotional toll.

“I have to send my kids to be away from us, and as a parent, it’s not what you want to do,” Suarez said.

Helena Delu, another resident who lost her home in Altadena, expressed gratitude for her family’s safety.

“We saw that our home was on fire and there was nothing we could do. But, you know, we have our lives, so that’s the most important,” Delu said.

Firefighters battle dangerous winds

Dramatic footage shows firefighters conducting water drops in Los Angeles County while preparing for wind gusts of up to 70 mph. Crews are clearing brush and creating buffers around homes to prevent further destruction.

“We’re going to create a buffer around every house. We’re clearing trees, brush, anything around those structures,” said Marco Rodriguez of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Recovery and criticism

Residents face a challenging recovery process as they begin to rebuild their lives.

“We all lost a lot — a lot of memories, a lot of good times. We don’t know what we’re going to do, where we’re going to go,” said Jacqueline Snell, a local resident.

The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, has faced criticism for traveling to Ghana on January 4, after the first weather warnings were issued. She returned 24 hours after the Palisades Fire began, by which time at least 1,000 structures had been destroyed and over 70,000 people evacuated.

“Everything could be better. There is no question about that,” Bass said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom warned that the fires could become the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.