LOS ANGELES: Tens of thousands of people ordered to flee their homes as wildfires tore through Los Angeles were told on Thursday they would not be allowed back for at least a week — till Jan 20 —with fears over electrocution, landslides and exposure to toxic materials.

Frustration is mounting among evacuees, who are angry over rules that prevent them from returning — even to homes that survived the deadly blazes.

“There was a group chat where everyone was complaining, getting mad, saying, `why do they keep on locking us out of our homes?’” Ronnen Miz told local broadcaster KTLA.

But with 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) burned in two ferocious fires, the situation is just too dangerous, officials said.

Electricity, gas and sewage lines are wrecked, there is toxic waste everywhere, and there is a growing threat of hazardous mudslides or landslips, officials said at a news conference.

“It’s going to be a while,” said Los Angeles county sheriff Robert Luna.

“I’m going to say at minimum, at least another week, and that’s an estimate, but I believe it’s going to be longer than that.”

Pam Shriver

Tennis great Pam Shriver revealed on Thursday a cache of major trophies from her illustrious career were stolen after she evacuated from the fire.

Shriver, 62, packed five US Open trophies, five French Open plates, five Wimbledon trophies and one Australian Open trophy into her car as she fled her Brentwood home and headed to a hotel on Friday.

Sometime later, she found the car — and its irreplaceable contents — had been stolen.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2025