At least 29 people were arrested for looting in mandatory evacuation zones. Two people were caught posing as firefighters to steal from evacuees.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Sunday that he has requested additional National Guard troops to reinforce the 400 people already in the area. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that 1,000 more people will be sent to the National Guard.
“When I was there in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman who looked like a fireman. I asked him if he was okay as he was sitting down. I didn’t know we had handcuffs on him,” said Sheriff Luna. reporters.
“We’re turning him over to the LAPD because he was dressed as a firefighter and he wasn’t. He was just caught burglarizing a house. Therefore, our first deputies and police officers deal with these issues.”
There are now 14,000 firefighters in southern California, assisted by 84 aircraft and 1,354 fire trucks, Sheriff Luna said.
The number of evacuees has dropped, with about 105,000 residents still under mandatory evacuation orders and 87,000 under evacuation warnings.
Deanna Criswell, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told CNN on Sunday that a significant threat remains.
“I know so many people probably want to go back to the area and check their homes, but when the winds pick up, you never know which way they’re going to go,” she said.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said evacuees were allowed limited access over the weekend, but his officers are again barring all residents from returning.
