Pakistan sympathises with Los Angeles wildfires victims as death toll mounts to 24

ISLAMABAD/LOS ANGELES: The National Assembly of Pakistan extended its deepest condolences to the victims of the Los Angeles fire by passing a resolution on Monday as death toll from wildfires mounted to 24.

The resolution expressed heartfelt sympathy to all those affected by the devastating fire, emphasising solidarity with the victims during this difficult time.

PPP lawmaker Naveed Aamir Jeeva moved the resolution in the lower house of parliament, saying: “We stand in solidarity with the people of Los Angeles.”

“(…) we, as a global community, recognise that in times of tragedy, it is our shared humanity that binds us together and it is our collective responsibility to offer support and stand by the affected people of Los Angeles during this time of hardship.”

The resolution calls upon international and local organisations, as well as individuals, to come together in the spirit of humanity to aid in the recovery, rebuilding and healing of Los Angeles, ensuring that no one is left behind in this time of crisis.

Firefighters have been battling massive wildfires that have charred massive area in Los Angeles, with officials warning of incoming dangerous winds that could whip up the blazes further.

The fires ripped through the United States’ second-largest city for the seventh day, reducing whole communities to scorched rubble and leaving thousands without homes.

Massive firefighting efforts have staunched the spread of the Palisades Fire, which was looming toward upscale Brentwood and the densely populated San Fernando Valley.

But conditions are set to dramatically worsen, with “extreme fire behavior and life threatening conditions” over the coming days.

Winds up to 70 miles (110 kilometers) per hour mean a “particularly dangerous situation” will be declared from early Tuesday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld.

Those gusts could fan flames and whip up embers from existing burn zones into new areas, firefighters warned.

Los Angeles County Fire Department chief Anthony Marrone said his department had received resources including dozens of new water trucks and firefighters from far afield and was primed to face the renewed threat.

Asked whether hydrants could run dry again, as they did during the initial outbreak of fires last week, Mayor Karen Bass replied: “I believe the city is prepared.”

There was frustration for evacuees who were told they would not be returning home until at least Thursday when winds subside.

Some have queued for hours in the hope of getting back to homes they fled to pick up medication or a change of clothes.

Search for bodies

But Sheriff Robert Luna said escorts into those areas were being suspended on Sunday because of the winds and dangerous conditions among the wreckage, as well as the need to retrieve victims’ bodies.

Teams with cadaver dogs were carrying out grid searches with the grim expectation that the confirmed death toll would rise.

Several more arrests of looters were made, including one burglar who had dressed as a firefighter to steal from homes.

Nighttime curfews in evacuated zones have been extended and additional National Guard resources have been requested.

Henry Levinson was trying to get to his home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

“I wanted to collect my dad’s ashes, which we had to leave behind, as well as my grandma’s ashes, which we also had to leave behind,” Levinson, an editor, told AFP on Sunday.

Fire tornado

The Palisades Fire has consumed 23,700 acres (9,500 hectares) and was just 13 percent contained.

Video footage showed “fire tornadoes”, red-hot spirals that occur when a blaze is so intense it creates its own weather system.

But containment of the 14,000-acre Eaton Fire in Altadena had improved, figures showed, with 27 percent of its perimeter controlled.

The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner published a list of fatalities without giving details of any identities. Eight of the dead were found in the Palisades Fire zone, and 16 in the Eaton Fire zone, the document said.

The total number of residents under evacuation orders dropped to around 100,000, from a peak of almost 180,000.

‘Worst catastrophes’

President-elect Donald Trump has accused California officials of incompetence, even though a heroic firefighting operation has operated 24/7 since the first flames erupted.

That effort was bolstered Sunday with the arrival of crews from Mexico.

They join teams from all over California and across the western United States who have come to help out.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky even offered on Sunday to send 150 personnel to California from his war-ravaged country.

“The situation there is extremely difficult, and Ukrainians can help Americans save lives,” he wrote on social media.

A huge investigation by federal and local authorities was underway to determine what caused the blazes.

While the ignition of a wildfire can be deliberate, they are often natural and a vital part of an environment’s life cycle.

But urban sprawl puts people more frequently in harm’s way, and the changing climate — supercharged by humanity’s unchecked use of fossil fuels — is exacerbating the conditions that give rise to destructive blazes.