Some 8,500 firefighters from the western United States, Canada and Mexico have kept the growth of the fires in check for three days.
The Palisades Fire on the west edge of the city held steady at 96 sq km burned, and containment nudged up to 19 per cent – a measurement of how much of the perimeter was under control. The Eaton Fire in the foothills east of the city stood at 57 sq km with containment at 45 per cent.
A fleet of air tankers and helicopters dropped water and fire retardant into the rugged hills while ground crews with hand tools and hoses worked to contain the fires.
Aerial firefighters – or fire bombers – operate without precision equipment or autopilot, just a pilot’s view through the windscreen and his experience.
“I call it ‘feeling the force,'” said pilot Diego Calderoni, from a New Mexico-based contractor, referring to a mystical energy in the Star Wars films.
Hundreds of visiting firefighters and emergency workers are staying outside the Rose Bowl football stadium, a base camp where colleagues build camaraderie in between shifts of 24 hours on followed by 24 hours off.
“You’re all in it for the same mission,” said Martin Macias of the St. Helena Fire Department in Northern California. “We all got into this as service, to make somebody’s day better at the worst time.”
A new fire broke out on Wednesday in San Bernardino County east of Los Angeles, burning 12ha, Cal Fire reported. Two other fires in Southern California were largely under control.
Some Angelenos have been attempting to return to a semblance of normalcy.
Students and teachers displaced by wildfire from Palisades Charter Elementary School found a new home on Wednesday at the nearby Brentwood Elementary Science Magnet, where they were welcomed with open arms.
“For children who lost homes and also lost their school, it’s absolutely devastating. And the way that I can help and the way that I can give back is to make sure that those children have a place to go. And even though we lost the physical building, we still have our community,” Palisades Charter Elementary Principal Juliet Herman said.
