Painting LA pink! Fire retardant stains houses that still stand and everything around them in an attempt to slow the blazes that have killed at least 16 people
Pink fire retardant has smeared homes and buildings in Los Angeles as authorities continue to try to slow the blazes that have killed at least 16 people.
The spray, known as Phos-Chek, has been dropped across the city from nine large aircraft and 20 water-dropping helicopters to fight fires that have been raging since Tuesday.
It is made using a mix of chemicals used to extinguish the fire or slow its spread, including ammonium polyphosphate – which does not evaporate easily and lasts longer on materials than water.
The fire retardant is usually sprayed before the fire to cover the vegetation and prevent oxygen from burning it.
The bright pink color is usually added to Phos Chek to ensure firefighters can see it against the landscape and currently covers all plants, buildings and houses in the areas affected by the flames.
Thousands have been displaced by the infernos, which have already destroyed more than 12,000 structures as they swept through an area larger than the city of San Francisco.
Sewerage, water and energy infrastructure throughout the region has been significantly damaged, officials said.
While the cause of the fires has yet to be determined, early estimates indicate they could be the country’s costliest on record, as AccuWeather experts estimate damage and economic losses at between $135 billion and $150 billion.
The spray, known as Phos-Chek, has been dropped over Los Angeles from nine large aircraft and 20 water-dropping helicopters to fight the fires that have been raging since Tuesday.
The bright pink color is usually added to Phos Chek to ensure firefighters can see it against the landscape and currently covers all plants, buildings and houses in the areas affected by the flames.
Thousands have been displaced by the infernos, which have already destroyed more than 12,000 structures as they burned through an area larger than the city of San Francisco.
Cal Fire reported that the fires in Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hurst had destroyed about 100 square miles.
Five deaths were attributed to the Palisades fire along the coast and 11 deaths resulted from the Eaton fire further inland, according to the LA County medical examiner’s office.
At least 16 people were missing, and authorities said the number was expected to rise.
The flames have threatened and burned through several densely populated neighborhoods over the past week, including Pacific Palisades, Altadena and others.
About 150,000 people were under evacuation orders, while more than 700 took refuge in nine shelters, officials said.
Cal Fire reported Sunday that the Palisades fire was at 11 percent and the Eaton fire at 27 percent.
The Kenneth fire, which broke out near West Hills in the San Fernando Valley, was 100 percent contained as of Sunday morning, while the Hurst fire was 89% contained.
The fire retardant is usually sprayed before the fire to cover the vegetation and prevent oxygen from burning it
It is made using a mix of chemicals used to extinguish or slow the spread of fire, including ammonium polyphosphate – which does not easily evaporate and lasts longer on materials than water.
A helicopter drops water on the Palisades fire in Mandeville Canyon on Saturday
Los Angeles County firefighters unsuccessfully try to get water from a fire hydrant as they battle the Eaton fire
Firefighters battle a fire as a building burns during the Eaton Fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles County, California
An aerial view of burned homes on the Pacific Coast Highway on Thursday
Nearly 70,000 customers were without power across California as of Sunday morning, more than half of them in Los Angeles County, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide.
The National Weather Service warned that strong Santa Ana winds could return soon and issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions through Wednesday.
The winds are largely blamed for turning the wildfires into infernos that have leveled entire neighborhoods around the city, which has not seen significant rainfall for more than eight months.
Thousands have fled and many have lost their homes, including Hollywood stars Billy Crystal and Mandy Moore and Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick.