LEILA FADEL, HOST:
We begin, though, in Los Angeles, where the winds that stoked two massive wildfires last week have been calmer since yesterday.
STEVE INSKEEP, BYLINE: Still, forecasters are warning residents to stay on watch, and neighborhoods in fire zones remain locked down to the frustration of many homeowners.
FADEL: NPR's Martin Kaste is in LA, and he joins us now with the latest. Good morning, Martin.
MARTIN KASTE, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So does it look like Los Angeles is catching a break here?
KASTE: Well, we're not quite past the danger yet. The wind gusts up in the hills are still predicted to pick up around sunrise Pacific time and then go throughout the morning. But the night was calmer than had been initially feared, and there's some optimism here because the fire crews have had a relatively calm time for the last couple of days. That gave them a chance to reinforce their work on the two biggest fires here. They've used the time to layer on the fire retardant, especially in steep areas where they can't climb up to, with aerial drops. And they're hoping that those big fires will not grow outside their current footprints. But this red-flag warning situation right now is still in effect, at least for most of the day.
FADEL: And what about the neighborhoods that have already burned? Are those areas still off-limits?
KASTE: Yeah, they are. In fact, I'd say they're more locked down now than they were a few days ago. Yesterday, I was out in the Palisades fire area. There were police from around the city have been posted up there at key intersections. The entrance checkpoints have been beefed up with the National Guard, and that's creating some frustration, especially when people come up to that dividing line. They can see their house just up the street past the line. There's no nearby signs of active fire, and they wonder why they can't just go up there and check on things. But authorities say they're not done yet with house-to-house assessments of damage, checking for unsafe structures and hazards. The authorities are also saying that they have to kind of make a point of securing things to prevent looting.
FADEL: Is looting something that's happening?
KASTE: Well, people are concerned about that. There have been some credible reports of opportunistic thefts, especially in those first few days. On Monday, the district attorney here made a big point of announcing felony charges against people accused of burglary and related crimes. There have been a few more arrests, but it's not clear that this is still going on now at large scale, especially with these reinforced checkpoints. Yesterday, I was talking to James King III. He lives with his family right on the line between Pasadena and Altadena. It's outside the mandatory evacuation zone. And his house survived, but others around him burned. He describes things on the street as kind of dark and spooky, but he says, people are not - as he puts it - walking around, carrying torches and pitchforks.
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JAMES KING III: I don't see anyone trying to be any kind of vigilante. I think because of the fact that the National Guard is here, that there isn't no weird, like, suspicious characters in this area. So even now, it's pretty calm.
FADEL: OK, so assuming Los Angeles gets through today's red-flag warning without major new fires, what's in store for the next few days?
KASTE: Well, the big job right now is figure out how to shelter so many people who've lost their homes. The rental market here was already super expensive, and we're hearing reports of rent increases that qualify as price-gouging under state law. The city attorney is going to be on the lookout for that, she says. Mayor Karen Bass said the city is trying to make 1,200 more units of housing available in the next week or so. They want to streamline permitting for faster rebuilding, but it's a massive effort looming ahead of this region. Right now, I'd say the near-term hope is a forecast of maybe slightly better weather this weekend and maybe even the hope of a touch of moisture.
FADEL: NPR's Martin Kaste. Thank you, Martin.
KASTE: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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