LOS ANGELES: Californians demanded to know who is at fault for the vast devastation caused by the raging Los Angeles wildfires, as a strict curfew went into force to prevent looting and lawlessness.
At least 11 people died as flames ripped through neighbourhoods and razed thousands of homes in a disaster that US President Joe Biden likened to a “war scene.”
While Angelenos grapple with the heart-rending ruin, anger has risen over officials’ preparedness and response, particularly for a series of false evacuation alarms and after hydrants ran dry as firefighters battled the initial blazes.
Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered a “full independent review” of the city’s utilities, describing the lack of water supplies during the initial fires as “deeply troubling.”
“We need answers to how that happened,” he wrote in an open letter.
Residents like Nicole Perri, whose home in the upscale Pacific Palisades burnt down, told AFP that officials “completely let us down.”
“They let us, the ordinary people, burn,” added Nicholas Norman, across the city in Altadena.
A flare-up late Friday prompted new mandatory evacuations from ritzy neighbourhoods along the fire’s eastern flank, which include the famous Getty Center.
Built at a cost of $1 billion and constructed partly of fire-resistant travertine stone, the acclaimed museum boasts 125,000 artworks.
Meanwhile, as fears of looting grow, a sunset-to-sunrise curfew took effect in evacuated areas.
Around two dozen arrests have already been made across Los Angeles, where some residents have organized street patrols and kept armed watch over their own houses.
“If we see you in these areas, you will be subject to arrest,” Los Angeles Police Department chief Jim McDonnell said.
Violators face up to six months in prison or $1,000 fines, he said.
The National Guard has been deployed to bolster law enforcement.
Five separate fires have so far burned more than 37,000 acres (15,000 hectares), destroying around 10,000 buildings, California’s fire agency reported.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office confirmed an additional fatality on Friday, bringing the overall death toll so far to 11.
“It reminded me of more of a war scene, where you had certain targets that were bombarded,” said Biden, as he received a briefing on the fires at the White House.
Winds calmed Friday, providing a much-needed if fleeting window of opportunity for firefighters battling blazes around the clock for a fourth consecutive day.
