Flame hell of L.A.

Eerie destruction: death toll continues to rise

(Bild: AFP/VALERIE MACON)

The number of deaths in the wildfires in the Los Angeles area in the US state of California has risen to at least eleven, according to the authorities. The victims all died on Wednesday and Thursday. It is feared that the number of victims is likely to rise further.

According to the "Medical Examiner", six people died in the Eaton Fire near Pasadena and five more in the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades district. There have been serious fires in the region since Tuesday. The authorities also fear that the number of victims will rise.

CNN reported that the exact number cannot be determined until investigators can safely enter the destroyed neighborhoods. In the meantime, more than 15,000 hectares of land have been consumed by the flames. By comparison, the French capital Paris has only 10,500 hectares.

Sluggish success for the fire department
Of the six different fires currently burning, only two - the Hurst fire and the Lidia fire - are largely under control, according to the fire protection authority Cal Fire. By far the most intense fires, the "Palisades Fire" in the Pacific Palisades district and the "Eaton Fire" near Pasadena, have only been contained to eight and three percent respectively.

Meanwhile, the head of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Kristin Crowley, severely criticized the city administration. The 17 million dollar (16.5 million euro) cut in the fire department's budget is now having a negative impact on her department's ability to fight the fires, Kristin Crowley complained on US television station CNN. "We can no longer maintain the current situation. We don't have enough firefighters," she said.

She had repeatedly pointed out during budget requests that her authority was understaffed and underfunded, Crowley lamented. She said 62 additional fire stations were needed.

The number of calls for service has increased by 55 percent since 2010, but the number of firefighters has decreased, she explained. "Additional resources will help us with the current disaster," Crowley said. "But in the future, this can happen anywhere in the city of Los Angeles, and we need to be fully funded and supported," she urged.