Death toll from Los Angeles fires rises; evacuees unable to return home yet

los angeles - The number of fatalities resulting from the major wildfires around the American city of Los Angeles has risen to 24, authorities said on Sunday.

The death toll from the wildfires in the areas surrounding Los Angeles has reached 24, with eight bodies found near Pacific Palisades and sixteen in Eaton where multiple wildfires are raging.

Tens of thousands of people who were forced out of their homes due to the massive fires will not be able to return for the next four days, officials said on Sunday. Evacuees have formed lines at checkpoints in hopes of entering the evacuation zones created near Pacific Palisades and Eaton.

Many are desperate to go back to their houses to retrieve medicines or clothing they couldn't take with them in the rushed evacuation. Some are mainly concerned about whether their homes have survived the fires. Fire chief Anthony Marrone of Los Angeles County stated on Sunday that the expected gusty winds mean the emergency is far from over. 'They can't go home simply because it's not safe,' he said at a press conference.

'Our collective priority is to get residents back into their homes as soon as possible,' Marrone added. The discussions about the return can only take place after the powerful winds, expected to continue until Wednesday, have passed. 'Rest assured, we will start talks on Thursday morning about the return of the population.'

With thousands of homes destroyed, numerous families in the city are searching for a new residence in the area, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. The paper notes that people are desperately looking for stability - a place where their family can go.

Some landlords are said to have significantly raised rents in the region. To have a chance at housing, potential tenants are overbidding or offering to pay the rent up to a year in advance. 'Dozens and dozens of people are looking for similar properties,' said David Berg, a real estate agent at Smith & Berg Property Group. 'Since Tuesday afternoon, our phones have been ringing hundreds of times.' A newly built house that appeared on the agent's website on Friday, located close to the heavily affected Pacific Palisades district, had already been viewed ten thousand times in an hour.

Although landlords are not supposed to charge more than 10 percent above the amount they asked for before the fires broke out, real estate agent Michael Nourmand estimates that the advertised prices for single-family homes are about 20 percent higher than before the emergency. 'They're getting it - and fast,' he said about the landlords.

The fires have already destroyed or damaged more than 12,000 buildings in total.