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More than 10,000 homes in Los Angeles have been leveled by the historic wildfires — as powerful winds are forecast to return to the region early next week, officials said Friday.
“I lost everything,” said Walt Butler, 83, who lost his Altadena home in the Eaton fire.
“I said, ‘If I don’t outrun it, [the fire’s] gonna get me,” he told “Good Morning America” Friday. “Me getting away from the fire, it shouldn’t have happened.”
More than 82,000 people were still under evacuation orders Friday — many anxiously waiting to find out if their homes and possessions were reduced to ash.
Scores of residents gathered at checkpoints to plead with police and soldiers to let them back into their neighborhoods after fleeing their homes as wildfires began ripping through the region on Jan. 7.
“The properties have been damaged beyond belief,” Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella said at a briefing. “They are full of sediment, debris, silt and hazardous materials.”
Meanwhile, meteorologists warned that the strong winds that fanned the raging blazes are expected to pick back up Monday.
Wind gusts are forecast to reach a high of 60 mph in the LA area Monday night and early Tuesday, potentially sparking new blazes and causing the existing ones to spread, a meteorologist told The Post.
“The winds aren’t as violent as last week — but they still pose as much of a threat because the ground is so dry,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Cody Braud.
“Don’t let your guard down until there’s a decent rain,” he said, adding that a chance of showers isn’t expected for another week.
By contrast, the Santa Ana winds peaked at a hurricane-strength of 100 mph in LA as the fires broke out on Jan. 7.
By Friday afternoon, the Palisades fire was 31 % contained while the Eaton fire was 65% contained.
Containment is related to the fire’s likelihood to spread, rather than how much of it has been put out.
The wildfires have killed at least 27 people and dozens of others are still missing, officials said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating 31 missing persons cases related to the wildfires. Seven of those blazes were linked to the Palisades Fire and the remaining 24 were related to the Eaton Fire.
A least 12,000 structures in the LA area had been destroyed as of Friday, roughly 10,000 of which were houses, NPR reported.
Some homes in the fire-plagued area were spared because homeowners set up “defensible space” landscaping with no flammable plants surrounding their properties, the outlet reported.
Alex Rosewood said and her family in Altadena lost their home along with priceless keepsakes and heirlooms, ranging from wedding photos and their grandmother’s quilt.
“We all plan to rebuild, for sure,” she said.
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