Wildfires Ravage Southern California, Law Enforcement Arrests Numerous Individuals
As wildfires continue to spread across Southern California, local law enforcement has arrested numerous individuals attempting to take advantage of the situation. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that two individuals were arrested at the Vice President’s Brentwood home at 4:40am on Saturday, although they could not prove involvement in burglary and were instead detained for violating curfew.
A curfew has been imposed on evacuation zones from 6pm to 6am to curb looting and unrest, and since the fires started, officers have made 29 arrests across the impacted areas, including for burglary, breaking curfew, and other violations.
The fires have broken out in various areas around Los Angeles County, including the Pacific Palisades, Eaton Canyon, Malibu, and the Hollywood Hills, amid a “life-threatening and destructive” windstorm that picked up on Tuesday. As of Sunday, at least 16 people have died in the Southern California wildfires, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has received 16 missing persons reports related to the fires.
Over 105,000 people have received mandatory evacuation orders, with another 87,000 under evacuation warnings. President Joe Biden has declared the fires a major disaster and directed the federal government to cover 100% of costs for disaster assistance. Vice President Kamala Harris has also canceled a planned overseas trip to remain in DC to help oversee the federal response to the wildfires in her home state.
