Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 21, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2025 B4 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS I WORLD California crews extinguish new brush fires amid continuing hot, dry and windy conditions LOS ANGELES — Firefighters quickly extinguished several brush fires that erupted Monday in Southern California amid windy and dry conditions. The ex- treme fire weather is raising the risk of new wildfires like the two major blazes that started two weeks ago and are still burning in the Los Angeles area. Gusts could peak at 70 miles per hour (113 km/h) along the coast and 100 m.p.h. (160 km/h) in the mountains and foothills during extreme fire weather expected to last through today. The National Weather Service issued a warning of a “particularly danger- ous situation” for parts of Los Angeles, Ventura and San Diego counties from Monday afternoon through this mor- ning due to low humidity and damaging Santa Ana winds. “The conditions are ripe for explo- sive fire growth should a fire start,” said Andrew Rorke, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. On Monday afternoon, Los Angeles fire crews put out a small brush fire that broke out south of the iconic tri- ple-domed Griffith Observatory. A man suspected of starting the fire was taken into custody, said David Cuellar, a Los Angeles Police Department spokes- man. Firefighters also quickly extin- guished a brush fire along Interstate 405 in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Granada Hills. Farther south, fire crews aggressive- ly fought a blaze that also sparked Mon- day afternoon in the city of Poway, in San Diego County, and stopped its for- ward progress. Former vice-president Kamala Har- ris and her husband Doug Emhoff flew to Los Angeles after attending Presi- dent Donald Trump’s inauguration and met with firefighters, volunteers and victims of the Eaton Fire in Altadena. “We just came out to thank (fire- fighters), to thank the community and just remind folks that we’re all in this together,” Harris said. She said their home in Pacific Pali- sades was still standing. Rorke said a small amount of rain for the Los Angeles area in the weekend forecast was a hopeful sign, though he pointed out more gusty winds would re- turn Thursday. Authorities urged people not to mow their lawns to prevent sparking a fire, or start any fires that could get out of control. They also urged residents to review their evacuation plans, ready emergency kits and be on the lookout for any new blazes and report them quickly. David Acuna, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said the biggest con- cerns are the Palisades and Eaton Fires breaking their containment lines and a new blaze starting. “Don’t do things to start another fire so we can focus on the mitigation of the current fires,” Acuna said. The low humidity, bone-dry vegeta- tion and strong Santa Ana winds come as firefighters continue to battle two major blazes in the Los Angeles area, the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have destroyed more than 14,000 struc- tures since they broke out during fierce winds on Jan. 7. The Palisades fire was 59 per cent contained on Monday and the Eaton fire 87 per cent contained, according to fire officials. More evacuation orders were lifted Monday for Pacific Palisades and au- thorities said only residents would be allowed to get back in after showing proof of residency at a checkpoint. Over the weekend, two men im- personating firefighters attempted to enter an evacuation zone for the Pali- sades Fire, according to the Los Angel- es County sheriff’s department. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Monday the city was prepared for any possible new fires and warned the strong winds could disperse ash from existing fire zones across Southern California. She urged Angelenos to visit lacity.gov to learn about ways to protect themselves from toxic air during Santa Ana winds. Cal Fire and local fire depart- ments have positioned fire engines, water-dropping aircraft and hand crews across the region to enable a quick response should a new fire break out, Acuna said. Cal Fire had extra fire crews in Kern and Riverside counties, he said. Los Angeles fire officials said the department has all available engines ready and that 30 of them had been pos- itioned in fire risk areas. The agency also ordered the outgoing shift of about 1,000 firefighters to remain on duty to staff the extra engines. “The pre-deployment is very, very thoughtful and strategic,” Crowley said. — The Associated Press FERNANDO VERGARA / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Soldiers deploy in Tibu, Colombia, Monday following guerrilla attacks that have killed dozens of people and forced thousands to flee their homes in the Catatumbo region. Country’s northeast suffers spate of deadly violence by rebels Colombia’s president to declare state of emergency following attacks B OGOTA, Colombia — Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Monday that he will declare a state of emergency following a spate of guerrilla attacks in the country’s north- east that has killed dozens of people and forced thousands to flee their homes. In a message on X, Petro said that he will “declare a state of internal com- motion,” a measure that enables the executive branch to pass certain kinds of legislation without congressional ap- proval for three months. The measure will go into effect after a decree is signed by the president and his cabinet, but it can also be invalidat- ed by Colombia’s constitutional court. Internal commotion decrees were used in the early 2000s by the adminis- tration of then-president Álvaro Uribe to increase financing for the military through a special war tax. According to Colombia’s constitution, this emer- gency measure cannot be used to sus- pend congress or eliminate civil rights. “I hope the judicial system supports us,” Petro wrote on X. Earlier on Monday Petro had warned that his nation’s military will take offen- sive actions against the National Liber- ation Army after the rebels, known as the ELN, unleashed a wave of attacks in Colombia’s Catatumbo region, in which at least 80 people have been killed. “The ELN has chosen the path of war, and that’s what they will get,” Pet- ro wrote in a message on X, in which he accused the rebels of turning into a drug trafficking group and compared their methods to those of Pablo Esco- bar, the infamous cartel leader who bombed government buildings and murdered his enemies by hiring hun- dreds of hitmen. Petro, who was a member of a guer- rilla group during his youth, initiated peace talks with the ELN in 2022 after promising in his presidential campaign that he could get the rebels to demobil- ize within three months of taking of- fice. But talks have stalled over multiple disagreements about how the rebels would disarm and the kinds of eco- nomic reforms the government would implement in exchange for their dis- armament. The ELN has also criticized the gov- ernment for staging separate negotia- tions with a breakout group in the coun- try’s southwest and angered officials by continuing to kidnap civilians and extort businesses. On Friday Petro suspended negoti- ations with the rebels after violence escalated in Catatumbo, a mountain- ous region that produces around 15 per cent of Colombia’s coca crop and is lo- cated along the border with Venezuela. The ELN, which has an estimated 6,000 fighters, reportedly attacked civilians it accused of being collab- orators of a rival group, the FARC- EMC, taking people from their homes and shooting them in the streets, while in rural areas firefights broke out be- tween members of both groups. In a statement issued on Monday, ELN leader Antonio García said that his organization does not intend to tar- get civilians, but has been going after former rebel fighters who are now col- laborating with the FARC-EMC. Over the weekend, however, thou- sands of people fled towns in the Catatumbo region, fearing for their lives, including community leaders who had been threatened by the ELN. Among those fleeing were former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, who demobilized in a 2016 peace deal with the govern- ment, and have now been targeted by the ELN. The United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Colombia said Monday that the new wave of violence in Catatumbo has dis- placed 18,300 people, who are staying in shelters and hotels in the cities of Tibu, Ocaña and Cúcuta, where offi- cials have warned of a looming humani- tarian crisis. Sandra Tijaro, a farmer in northeast- ern Colombia, said in an interview she fled her village on Friday after armed men showed up and told everyone to evacuate. She is now staying with her children at a shelter in Tibu. “We want the armed groups to think about the welfare of rural folks. We are hard-working people who end up carrying the burden of this conflict,” she said. The 2016 peace deal between the Co- lombian government and the Revolu- tionary Armed Forces of Colombia led to the demobilization of 11,000 fighters; however, it left a power vacuum in some rural areas that smaller rebel groups have tried to fill, with the government struggling to reduce violence against civilians. — The Associated Press MANUEL RUEDA AND ASTRID SUÁREZ Houthi rebels only targeting Israeli ships in Red Sea corridor DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Yemen’s Houthi rebels signalled Mon- day they now will limit their attacks in the Red Sea corridor to only Israeli-af- filiated ships after a ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip, but warned wider as- saults could resume if needed. The Houthis’ announcement, first made in an email sent to shippers and others Sunday, likely won’t be enough to encourage global firms to re-enter the route that’s crucial for cargo and energy shipments moving between Asia and Europe. Their attacks have halved traffic through the region, cut- ting deeply into revenues for Egypt, which runs the Suez Canal linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. “The ceasefire is considered fragile,” said Jakob P. Larsen, the head of mari- time security for BIMCO, the largest international association representing shipowners. “It is assessed that even minor devi- ations from the ceasefire agreements could lead to hostilities, which would subsequently prompt the Houthis to again direct threats against a broader range of international shipping.” That was underscored by a speech aired Monday from the Houthis’ enig- matic supreme leader, Abdul-Malik al- Houthi. We are “maintaining constant read- iness to intervene immediately should the Israeli enemy resume any escala- tion, commit acts of genocide, impose a siege on Gaza or deny food and medi- cine to the people of Gaza,” al-Houthi said. “We are ready to return to escal- ation again alongside our brothers, the fighters in Palestine.” The Houthis separately planned a military statement on Monday, likely about the decision, though it still hadn’t been issued hours later. The Houthis made the initial an- nouncement through their Humanitar- ian Operations Co-ordination Centre, saying it was “stopping sanctions” on the other vessels it has previously tar- geted since November 2023. For Israeli ships, those “sanctions will be stopped upon the full implemen- tation of all phases” of the ceasefire, it added. However, the centre left open re- suming attacks against both the United States and the United Kingdom, which have launched airstrikes targeting the rebels over their seaborne assaults. “In the event of any aggression, the sanctions will be reinstated against the aggressor state. You will be promptly informed of such measures should they be implemented,” the centre said. The shipping industry reacted with caution to the Houthi pledge. “The coming weeks will provide the proof of whether the Houthi follow suit with their stated intent,” the maritime security firm Ambrey warned. The Houthis have targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023 after Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage. Israel’s mil- itary offensive in Gaza has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants but say women and children make up more than half the fatalities. The Iranian-backed Houthis have seized one vessel and sunk two in a campaign that has also killed four sail- ors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by separate U.S.- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western mil- itary vessels. The rebels had maintained that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the U.K. to force an end to Israel’s cam- paign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked had little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran. The tempo of Houthi attacks has slowed in recent weeks, particularly in- volving ships at sea. That may be due in part to the U.S. airstrike campaign. The U.S. and its partners alone have struck the Houthis over 260 times, according to the International Institute for Stra- tegic Studies. The rebels had continued to launch drones and missiles targeting Israel, which has warned it will continue to strike Houthi leadership. Another wild card is President Don- ald Trump, who started his second term Monday. He may reapply a foreign terrorist organization designation on the Houthis that president Joe Biden re- voked, which could spark attacks again. “Uncertainty is further exacerbat- ed by today’s inauguration of Trump,” Larsen said. “It remains unclear how the Trump administration will act in the conflict with the Houthis and whether potential punitive actions against them will be considered.” — The Associated Press JON GAMBRELL AMBREY VIA AP FILES This undated photo released by the private security firm Ambrey shows the oil tanker Sounion burning in the Red Sea following an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. ;