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What you need to know Firefighters have made progress battling the smaller blazes around Los Angeles, however, the largest fires remain uncontained, and forecast winds threaten to worsen the situation heading into Friday local time.
Officials expect the death toll to rise as LA faces the most destructive fires in its history.
Here’s what you need to know:
Seven people have died, with the death toll expected to rise when firefighters can access already burned areas. The two largest fires – Palisades and Eaton – are still spreading, but the former is now siz per cent contained. The newest blaze, the Kenneth fire, is also uncontained and rapidly expanding, while the Hurst Fire is 37 per cent contained. The Lidia fire is now mostly contained, while firefighters have completely contained the Sunset fire, which threatened Hollywood and Hollywood Hills and the Woodley fire. More than ten thousand structures including countless homes have been destroyed. Police have made 20 arrests, 12 of which are linked to looting. Curfews are in place in the worst affected areas of the Palisades and Altadena. Movie stars and celebrities, including Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal and Eugene Levy, have lost homes in the fires. The blazes were fuelled by the powerful Santa Ana winds, which blew with hurricane strength through parts of California that hadn’t experienced rain for several months. Latest posts 2.23pm
PM promotes climate change policies in response to LA fires By Josefine Ganko Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has touted his government’s climate change response in answering a question about the LA wildfires.
Speaking at a WA press conference, Albanese said the first reaction to a tragedy like this was always a human one, noting the trauma of those who have lost their loved ones and homes. But he also touched on the environmental and economic damage of extreme weather events.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to media in Perth. Credit: Getty Images
“The idea that you can just dismiss that impact on the economy is not right. The economic cost of rebuilding in areas impacted by extreme weather events, whether it be the bushfires in 2019-20, whether it be the flooding that impacted in WA,” Albanese said.
“We need to not dismiss climate change as not being associated with the economy. It is.”
The prime minister used the
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