Strong winds are easing in Los Angeles, giving weary firefighters a break

Firefighters battling two wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles in nine days may get a respite Thursday from bad weather.

Hurricane-force winds, which initially fanned the flames and hampered rescue efforts, have weakened to much lighter gusts.

Progress has been made in eliminating the two largest fires, which burned on a total area of ​​about 40,000 hectares.

At least 25 people have died and more than 12,000 buildings have been destroyed in the worst wildfires in history that have engulfed America’s second largest city.

The two largest fires, Eaton and Palisades, are still burning after more than a week – and firefighting assistance has been requested from Mexico and Canada.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has lifted the red flag warnings, but could return in a few days.

“There will be a significant improvement tonight and tomorrow, although there will still be some areas of concern,” Ryan Kittel of the NWS told AFP news agency.

Fire warnings remain very important as parts of southern California remain at increased risk despite easing winds and rising humidity, says BBC forecaster Paul Goddard.

No rain is forecast for California next week.

Officials are also monitoring Santa Ana winds, which are believed to be the cause of the fires. Winds are forecast to return early next week, bringing a high risk of further red flag warnings.

Winds may gust 30-50 mph (48-80 km/h).

The Palisades fire, which is the largest of the fires, is not growing as firefighters work to contain the flames, according to Cal Fire incident chief Jim Hudson.

It burned 24,000 acres. As of Thursday morning, more than 20% had been located.

“There are extreme hazards and extreme heat that still lie around the perimeter and inside of this fire,” Mr. Hudson said during a news conference in Malibu on Wednesday.

Mr Hudson added that 5,100 personnel had been deployed to contain the fire.

“As we move forward, we will continue to increase containment when we feel it is safe to do so and that safety is not just about life and property, but also about fire growth,” he added.

The 25th death from the fires was confirmed by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner earlier this week. A number of people are still missing.

Most of the victims were killed in the Eaton fire, which burned more than 14,000 hectares in the north of the city. Firefighters contained 45% of the fire.

Some victims of the Eton fire have now been allowed to return to their homes, but tens of thousands of people are still under evacuation orders – where a curfew is also in place.

Thousands of homes were destroyed in one of the costliest natural disasters in American history.

Extreme Weather Attribution Research by Climatologists fromClimate meter» concluded that the California wildfires are caused by meteorological conditions exacerbated by human-induced climate change.

The study found that current conditions in areas affected by the fires were warmer, drier and windier compared to the past.