A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
California's governor's looking to rebuild the parts of Metro Los Angeles swept away by wildfire.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Gavin Newsom says he wants to restore neighborhoods as quickly as possible. And for people restoring their homes, he will use his power to waive California's famously challenging environmental reviews. First, though, the fires have to burn out, and they have killed an estimated 24 people, so far as we know.
MARTÍNEZ: We're joined now by NPR's Adrian Florido in Los Angeles. Adrian, firefighters made some progress containing these fires over the weekend. How are things looking now?
ADRIAN FLORIDO, HOST:
Things are looking better. Firefighters are gradually containing the Eaton fire in Northeast LA and the Palisades fire on the west side. Each of those fires destroyed thousands of homes, as you said. They are now burning mostly in the unpopulated hills, but they are still spreading. There were new evacuation orders over the weekend in neighborhoods that the fires were approaching.
The big concern now is that winds are, as you said, about to pick up again. There could be gusts as high as 70 miles per hour in some areas. This is LA County fire chief Anthony Morrone.
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ANTHONY MORRONE: These winds, combined with low humidities and low fuel moistures, will keep the fire threat in all of Los Angeles County very high.
FLORIDO: LA City fire chief Kristin Crowley pleaded with residents to stay alert and to stay informed.
KIRSTIN CROWLEY: Follow all evacuation warnings and orders, and the key here is without delay.
FLORIDO: The National Weather Service, A, has warned that critical fire weather conditions will last through Wednesday.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. Now, you know, last week, we heard a lot about how there aren't enough firefighters or other resources to get these fires under control. So do officials now have what they need?
FLORIDO: Well, they're now saying that they are staffed and equipped to handle this. Thousands of firefighters have come in from other states, from Mexico and from Canada, and are working the fire lines. Now the governor of California called up a thousand more National Guard troops to help. Dozens of planes and choppers have been dropping water and flame retardant pretty much around the clock.
Of course, as we saw last week, A, wind and the embers that it carries are what really bring a lot of uncertainty.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, as far as the communities that have been hit the hardest, that's Pacific Palisades and Altadena, what's going on there?
FLORIDO: Well, people there are just starting to take stock of all that they've lost and what comes next for them. For the most part, these communities are still off limits, even to residents, because investigators are going through with cadaver dogs to search for possible victims. LA County is also saying that before debris cleanup can start in these communities, either by county crews or homeowners themselves, that HAZMAT teams are going to have to go through parcel by parcel to remove toxic waste.
At a community meeting yesterday in Altadena, LA's public works director Mark Pestrella, said county officials are already hearing from people asking when they can get in and start rebuilding, but he said it's way too soon. He did promise that officials are working to streamline the cleanup process and also the construction permitting process that's going to be ahead for a lot of people.
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MARK PESTRELLA: We intend to make this as fast as possible to rebuild your homes.
(APPLAUSE)
FLORIDO: In the meantime, A, people are scrambling to find temporary housing and also to figure out whether they're covered by their insurance policies.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, Adrian, my son and granddaughters had to evacuate to my house, even though they're not from an area that has burned, and they're not going back anytime soon, I would imagine, but have any people have been allowed to return?
FLORIDO: Well, a lot of people in the areas that were under mandatory evacuation orders have not gone back, and the county fire chief said that the conversation about when they will be allowed to return won't start before Thursday. Officials want to be sure that those evacuated communities are no longer at risk of catching fire because these fires are still burning not too far away. Those Santa Ana winds are still blowing also, and Los Angeles is still in an active emergency.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's NPR's Adrian Florido. Thanks a lot.
FLORIDO: Thank you, A. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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