Winds calmed Friday around Los Angeles, providing a fleeting window of opportunity for firefighters battling five major blazes, as official recriminations began over responsibility for the disaster.
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"I lost everything. My house burned down and I lost everything," Hester Callul, who reached a shelter after fleeing her Altadena home, told AFP. The five separate fires have so far burned more than 35,000 acres , California's fire agency reported. The Eaton fire in the Altadena area was three percent checked, with almost 14,000 acres scorched and key infrastructure - including communication towers - threatened.
"The winds have died down today, but... are going to increase again in the coming days," said Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.The Los Angeles County medical examiner's office confirmed an additional fatality on Friday, bringing the overall death toll so far to 11.
And aviation authorities were investigating who had piloted an illegal drone that struck a water-dropping aircraft, punching a fist-sized hole in the plane and taking it out of action.Biden also took a veiled swipe at incoming president Donald Trump, who has spread misinformation over the flames that has then been amplified on social media.
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