Los Angeles is under fiery siege: winds have shifted the blaze, causing the death toll to rise.

According to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, at least 13 people are reported missing. It remains unclear whether the missing persons reports are connected to the fires, he stated.

Meanwhile, witnesses are reporting fire whirlwinds rising above the city.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the largest wildfire, which ravaged parts of Los Angeles this week, changed direction on Saturday due to the wind.

The fire in the Palisades area on the western outskirts of the city is now moving towards previously unaffected areas of Brentwood and the foothills of the San Fernando Valley. Local authorities have issued another evacuation order. Firefighting units are being redeployed.

Before the wind changed direction, firefighters reported progress in suppressing the blaze in the Palisades and Eaton areas. By Friday evening, the fire in the Palisades was contained at 8%, while in Eaton it was at 3%, according to the state agency Cal Fire.

The National Weather Service stated that conditions in the Los Angeles area should improve over the weekend, with wind speeds decreasing to 30 km/h; however, starting Tuesday next week, wind speeds are expected to increase again, reports Voice of America.

Local authorities have also declared a state of emergency due to thick toxic smoke. During the fires, traces of metals, plastics, and other synthetic materials have entered the air.

Sheriff Robert Luna added that the number of casualties is expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue.

In several areas of California, looters have begun to operate. To combat this, the police have imposed a curfew in the affected areas from 6 PM to 6 AM.

“It is not allowed to be in the affected areas. If you do, you will be arrested. This curfew will be strictly enforced,” said Sheriff Robert Luna.

AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses from the disaster at $135-150 billion.
President Joe Biden declared the fires in Los Angeles a major disaster and stated that the U.S. government will cover 100% of recovery costs over the next six months, according to Voice of America.

We previously reported that there are 73 Kazakhs in California, including 56 participants of the Bolashak program and 17 interns from the Scientific Internship program. The JSC “Center for International Programs” assured that the Kazakh students are safe.