Sawt Falasteen - Fire-hit LA faces new peril as dangerous gusts forecast

A week after blazes erupted and spread uncontained, forecasters predicted "particularly dangerous" Santa Ana winds would spike.

"Stay aware of your surroundings. Be ready to evacuate. Avoid anything that can spark a fire," the National Weather Service said, warning of gusts up to 70 miles (110 kilometers) an hour between 3 am (1100 GMT) and 3 pm on Wednesday.

Part of Los Angeles County and much of neighboring Ventura County were in a "Particularly Dangerous Situation," according to the NWS, a designation that was in effect before last week's deadly blazes.

"All the plants and vegetation is really dry and ready to burn so... fires can grow pretty fast," meteorologist Ryan Kittell told AFP Tuesday.

The Palisades and Eaton fires -- both of which are still burning in places -- could flare up, and new ignitions could quickly turn problematic, Kittell said.

Officials insisted they were poised for any renewed threats, particularly around the existing burn sites, after hydrants ran dry in the initial firefight.

"We have checked the water system in the Eaton fire area, and it is operational, meaning that we have water and we have pressure," fire chief Anthony Marrone said.

The renewed danger comes with 24,000 acres (9,700 hectares) of the upmarket Pacific Palisades in ruins and 14,000 acres (5,700 hectares) of the community of Altadena badly charred.

Gusting winds were also whipping up toxic ash, with health officials urging everyone to wear a mask.

"Ash is not just dirt," said Anish Mahajan of the Los Angeles County Public Health Department.

"It's hazardous fine dust that can irritate or harm your respiratory system and other parts of your body where it lands."

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday ordered debris removal teams to be on standby, as emergency managers look ahead to possible winter rainstorms that could provoke mudslides.

Some Palisades locals have decided not to wait, working to remove scorched debris from roads and sidewalks themselves.

Contractor Chuck Hart and his crew were working on a construction site in his neighborhood when the fire broke out.

After they saved his mother's house from encroaching flames, Hart said they began making rounds to clean debris from the streets.

"We just rock-and-rolled," he said. "We've just been doing that non-stop ever since."

"We're going to do everything we can to get this place back up and running as quickly as possible."

- 'Unimaginable' -

Around 88,000 people remain displaced.

For those whose homes survived, there is frustration about not being able to return.

For others, there is nothing left.

"We all left with the clothes on our back," Sonja Jackson told the Los Angeles Times as she waited in line for government help.

"We thought we'd be able to come back in the morning. We didn't think the fires were gonna do what they did."

The scale of the disaster was still difficult for many to grasp, with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass saying it was only after flying over it that she had started to appreciate the immensity of the damage.

"It's one thing to see it on television, it's another thing to see it from air. The massive, massive destruction is unimaginable until you actually see it," she said.

AccuWeather increased its assessment of the total cost of the tragedy to between $250 billion and $275 billion, a figure that would make it one of the most costly in US history.

Federal authorities said Tuesday they have launched a probe into the causes of the fires, but warned it could take time.

"We know everyone wants answers, and the community deserves answers. ATF will give you those answers, but it will be once we complete a thorough investigation," said Jose Medina of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

W.AbuLaban--SF-PST