The California National Guard has been deployed to Los Angeles as the City of Angels continues to battle out-of-control wildfires, its troops tasked with preventing looting and riots as well as helping emergency responders tackle the blaze.
The fires that erupted earlier this week, profiting from dry conditions and whipped up by strong Santa Ana winds, have already killed 10 people, destroyed more than 1,000 structures and forced 150,000 residents to evacuate.
Amid the devastation, outbreaks of theft and looting have also been reported as opportunists take advantage of the chaos to raid empty homes and shops abandoned to the flames.
No rioting has taken place, however, despite claims to the contrary spreading on right-wing social media.
“To those who would seek to take advantage of evacuated communities, let me be clear: looting will not be tolerated,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement on Thursday as he announced the 400-strong National Guard deployment, which takes the number of official personnel on the ground responding to the disaster to 8,000.
Newsom had faced criticism from some quarters for not moving quickly enough to bring in the Guard to support local law enforcement but was emphatic in announcing the new show of force on X last night.
Twenty arrests have been made for looting so far, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at his press conference yesterday.
“You will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he warned, advising the public against exploiting the situation for personal gain.
Kathryn Barger, chair of LA County’s Board of Supervisors, likewise condemned the spike in burglaries.
“Shame on those who are preying on our residents during this time of crisis,” she said.
Armoured vehicles belonging to the Guard have already been spotted along the 210-freeway traveling towards the Eaton Fire, which has torn through Pasadena and Altadena in recent days.
Those areas are now under mandatory evacuation orders and a 6pm to 6am curfew is in place in an attempt to stop stragglers venturing out to steal from properties left unguarded.
The troops’ remit is currently the Eaton and Palisades Fires, although they could be diverted to other neighborhoods as the situation evolves, according to necessity.
The Sunset Fire that had raged around the Hollywood Hills, potentially endangering the iconic Hollywood sign and other celebrated landmarks, was finally contained on Thursday but a new blaze, dubbed the Kenneth Fire, has now ignited in the Calabasas and Hidden Hills areas.
