California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Jan. 12 announced that the state will deploy an additional 1,000 National Guard members to deal with wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area for the past week.
With the move, more than 2,500 National Guard members are now involved in the firefighting efforts, his office said. The remainder of the deployment is expected to come on Jan. 13.
“The men and women of the California National Guard have been on the ground since day one—not only fighting fires, but also assisting with public safety efforts in communities devastated by these fires. We thank them for their efforts to keep our communities safe,” Newsom said in a statement.
Officials have confirmed that at least 24 people have died in the Los Angeles area because of the fires, which have scorched entire neighborhoods around the city where there has been no significant rainfall in about eight months.
Twelve people were missing within the Eaton fire zone, and four were missing from the Palisades fire, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. Luna noted that “dozens” more reports might have come in on the morning of Jan. 12 and that investigators were reconciling whether some of the missing might be among the dead. There are no children among those reported missing, he said.
On Jan. 12, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions through Jan. 15, with sustained winds of 50 miles per hour and gusts in the mountains reaching 70 miles per hour. The most dangerous day will be Jan. 14, according to weather service meteorologist Rich Thompson.
The director of the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) said more high winds this week are likely to cause more fires, even in areas where fires have seen some containment in recent days.
“What I’m hearing right now is that the winds are potentially getting dangerous and strong again,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Jan. 12.
“I believe the red flag warnings have been put back in place, and so I think the biggest thing that people need to know is that this is still dangerous, and they still need to make sure they’re listening to their local officials so they can keep themselves safe.”
About 150,000 people in Los Angeles County remained under evacuation orders, with more than 700 residents taking refuge in nine shelters, Luna said on Jan. 12. Officials said most of the orders in the Palisades area were unlikely to be lifted before the red flag warnings expire on the evening of Jan. 15.
Since the start of the fires, Newsom and local Los Angeles officials have faced criticism for their preparation and response to the historic fires. President-elect Donald Trump said he would have signed an order to pump additional water into California to deal with the fires while making allusions to regulations limiting the amount of water that can be directed from the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta because of protection orders around the Delta smelt fish.
On Jan. 12, Newsom responded to Trump’s comments in a “Meet the Press” interview, saying Southern California’s “reservoirs are completely full” and claiming that “mis- and disinformation I don’t think advantages or aids any of us.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
