Jim McDonnell, the chief of police in Los Angeles, spoke on Sunday about the department’s decision to no longer escort fire victims into neighborhoods that have been evacuated and burnt.
“We tried to be as compassionate as we could be by putting together escorts that provided limited access for people to get into the area, very deliberately, and be able to retrieve medication or pets in some cases,” McDonell stated in a press conference.
Although initially effective, McDonell claims that officers were overwhelmed by the volume of homeowners asking to return to their homes. He stated that the lengthy wait times caused some people to become irritated, which made them feel even more stressed.
Long lines of cars waiting for police to escort them to their houses were visible on the highways leading to the affected communities in recent days, as the severity of the fire in some areas of the Palisades Fire burn scar considerably decreased.
“Today we need to suspend that practice, effective immediately,” he stated.
Teams started searching neighborhoods on Sunday using cadaver dogs.
“That will result in crime scene preservation efforts and the recovery of remains,” McDonnell said.
He added that people’s safety would be a concern if severe winds returned to the area, particularly in an environment as unstable as the one they were traveling to.
With more Santa Ana winds predicted, the National Weather Service issued red flag and high wind advisories for the area on Saturday.