California fires: Multiple arrests, an ongoing investigation and hope for calmer winds

The city of Los Angeles, devastated by massive fires on the U.S. West Coast, is hoping that the strong, dangerous dry winds will subside, giving firefighting crews a much-needed respite.

The Eaton and Palisades fires, which together have burned more than 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) and left at least 25 dead, were still burning Wednesday.

According to local media reports, such as Los Angeles Times, a man was arrested in connection with a fire in San Bernardino. He is charged with several counts, including one count of reckless burning. The information came after authorities reported that at least three other arrests had already been made in connection with similar events.

In the meantime, authorities are making progress in learning details about what may have started the fires. In addition, a group of people affected by the fires that are sweeping Southern California filed four lawsuits against Southern California Edison (SCE) -a company that supplies utilities in the state such as electricity and heat- accusing it of being responsible for the origin of the fires.

These four lawsuits, signed by homeowners, tenants and business owners, were filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The plaintiffs, based on witness statements and images, claimed that the Eaton fire originated at the base of a transmission tower owned by SCE. At the time the fires started, the electrical equipment was energized, they said.

Similarly, it was revealed over the weekend that California Governor Gavin Newsom had ordered an independent investigation into the loss of water pressure at local hydrants and the unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir.

"We take every threat seriously"

This Wednesday, it was also revealed that employees of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power alerted the police about two incidents that raised concerns within the organization after they were threatened.

"We can confirm that threats have been made against our employees (...) We take every threat and incident seriously and report them immediately to law enforcement," a department spokesman said.

In Palisades, authorities have confirmed that 2,747 structures have been destroyed and 484 damaged, with the totals expected to rise. In Eaton, 5,356 structures have been confirmed destroyed and 613 damaged, and those numbers are also expected to increase.

Adrian Scott Fine, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Conservancy, told The New York Times that more than 30 major structures have been lost. The destruction has claimed important buildings by renowned architects such as Richard Neutra, Gregory Ain, Eric Owen Moss, and others.

Meanwhile, residents hope the situation will improve so they can resume their daily activities. School leaders are working on solutions to allow children to return to classes, while families are requesting to return to their housing developments.

The White House announced that those affected by the fires will receive a one-time payment of $770, a form of aid that residents have already begun to request.

"So they can quickly purchase things like water, baby formula, and prescriptions. So far, nearly 6,000 survivors have registered to do just that and $5.1 million has gone out," the Biden administration said.