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Firefighters battle to contain Los Angeles wildfires as death toll rises

Published

2 years ago

January 12, 2025

The Palisades fire has scorched nearly 23,000 acres

Firefighters battle to contain Los Angeles wildfires as death toll rises

Firefighters are making an all-out assault to prevent the largest of the deadly wildfires that is threatening Los Angeles from spreading into one of the city’s most exclusive neighbourhoods.

Aerial crews have been bombarding the flaming hills with water and fire retardant to hold back the Palisades fire, which has expanded an additional 1,000 acres and is now menacing Brentwood.

Officials have been on the defensive amid mounting anger at how hydrants ran dry as firefighters struggled to contain the fast-moving blazes.

Winds are expected to pick up again overnight, further fanning the flames that have left at least 16 people dead.

On Saturday evening, the LA County coroner’s office announced that 11 of the deaths were attributed to the Eaton fire and five to the Palisades fire.

But the National Weather Service warned that the gusty Santa Ana winds that whipped up the fires at the outset would increase again on Saturday and into Sunday.

Seven neighbouring states, the federal government and Canada and Mexico have rushed resources to California.

“LA County had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath earlier on Saturday.

Firefighters have made modest progress against the worst of the infernos, the Palisades fire, which has scorched nearly 23,000 acres and is 11% contained.

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But the conflagration has spread into the Mandeville Canyon neighbourhood, sparking evacuation orders for swathes of Brentwood, a ritzy enclave where Arnold Schwarzenegger, Disney chief executive Bob Iger and NBA star LeBron James have homes.

Also in the evacuation zone is the Getty Center, a hilltop museum that holds more than 125,000 artworks, including masterpieces by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Rubens, Monet and Degas. The building is undamaged so far.

Posting on X, it said the site “remains stable, aside from a hot spots” but that it was “we are acutely aware of our Getty neighbours and hope for their safety”.

The second-biggest blaze, the Eaton fire, has razed more than 14,000 acres and was 15% contained. Firefighters have mostly contained two smaller blazes, the Kenneth and Hurst fires.

No cause has yet been established for the fires. The two biggest ones combined have razed an area more than twice the size of Manhattan.

Some 153,000 residents are under mandatory evacuation orders and another 166,000 have been warned they may have to flee, too.

The political repercussions have begun.

On Friday, Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat with rumoured White House aspirations, ordered an investigation into why a key reservoir was out of service and some fire hydrants ran dry.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley complained about the shortage.

“When a firefighter comes up to a hydrant, we expect there’s going to be water,” she said.

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Chief Crowley has also attacked city leadership for cutting her department’s budget and eliminating mechanic positions, which she said had resulted in more than 100 fire apparatuses being out of service.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has said all of the fire hydrants in the Pacific Palisades and LA’s Westside communities were “fully operational” prior to the devastating wildfires, CNN is reporting.

On Saturday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass – who has been criticised for being in Ghana attending the inauguration of the African country’s president when the fires erupted in LA on Tuesday, hinted at her tensions with Chief Crowley.

“Let me be clear about something,” Bass told a news conference, “the fire chief and I are focused on fighting these fires and saving lives, and any differences that we might have will be worked out in private.”

More than 70,000 people have signed a change.org petition demanding the mayor’s immediate resignation.

As fears of looting grow, a sunset-to-sunrise curfew is being strictly enforced in evacuated areas, official said.

Newsom announced on Saturday that he would double the number of National Guard on the ground to “keep communities safe”, deploying 1,680 troops.

About two dozen arrests have been made, including for burglary, looting and curfew violations.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said cadaver dogs are helping 40 search and rescue team scour razed neighbourhoods.

The death toll is expected to rise once house-to-house searches are conducted.

The fires were so intense that wheel alloys on cars were melted to puddles of liquid metal.

Rick McGeagh, an estate agent, told Reuters news agency that in his Pacific Palisades neighbourhood only six out of 60 homes survived.

All that remained standing at his house was a statue of the Virgin Mary.

“Everything else is ash and rubble,” said the 61-year-old father-of-three.

Firefighters battle to contain Los Angeles wildfires as death toll rises

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International

Spain Train Crash: Death Toll Hits 68 as Two High-Speed Trains Collide

Published

2 hours ago

October 28, 2026

Trends Admin

Spain Train Crash: Death Toll Hits 68 as Two High-Speed Trains Collide

At least 68 people have been killed and dozens injured after two high-speed trains collided in central Spain, triggering a major rescue operation and the suspension of rail services along one of the country’s busiest routes.

The crash occurred shortly before 9 a.m. on Wednesday, October 28, near Urda in Toledo province, about 130 kilometres south of Madrid. The trains, operated by state-owned Renfe and private railway company Iryo, were travelling towards Seville when the collision occurred.

According to preliminary reports, the Renfe train struck the rear of an Iryo train that had stopped on the tracks. The impact derailed several carriages, some of which plunged down an embankment, leaving twisted metal and wreckage scattered across the crash site.

Authorities said the two trains were carrying approximately 544 passengers, including an infant. Emergency workers, firefighters, police officers and medical teams were deployed to rescue survivors, recover victims and transport injured passengers to nearby hospitals.

Spain’s regional authorities confirmed that at least 68 people had died, while 58 others required hospital treatment. Rescue operations continued as emergency teams searched the wreckage for additional victims.

Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a signalling-system failure preceded the collision. According to his preliminary account, a communications problem affecting the railway’s traffic-control system caused several trains to stop automatically.

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The control centre subsequently authorised trains to resume their journeys, but the Renfe train was reportedly allowed to continue despite a stop signal remaining active. The minister questioned the decision to restart normal traffic and said investigators were examining the circumstances surrounding the instruction.

He cautioned against assigning responsibility before the investigation established the facts.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the crash site and promised a thorough investigation into the disaster. He said authorities would determine whether negligence or safety-system failures contributed to the collision and take appropriate action if wrongdoing was established.

Sánchez also announced three days of national mourning, from October 29 to 31, in honour of the victims.

The tragedy has renewed concerns about railway safety in Spain, coming just nine months after another deadly collision near Adamuz in Córdoba province killed 46 people. That January disaster also involved trains operated by Renfe and Iryo.

The latest crash has prompted fresh scrutiny of railway infrastructure, signalling procedures and the management of train movements during technical failures.

Rail services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia were suspended following the collision, disrupting travel along a major high-speed corridor.

Authorities said investigations would continue to establish the full circumstances of the crash and determine whether additional safety measures were required.

Spain Train Crash: Death Toll Hits 68 as Two High-Speed Trains Collide

International

US Extradites Nigerian Over Alleged $100m Tax Refund Fraud

Published

15 hours ago

October 28, 2026

Trends Admin

US Extradites Nigerian Over Alleged $100m Tax Refund Fraud

The United States has extradited a Nigerian man, Akinade Adedeji Raheem, from the Republic of Benin to face federal charges over an alleged $100 million tax refund fraud scheme involving stolen identities and more than 300 fraudulent tax returns.

Raheem, 43, was arraigned in a federal court in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday, October 26, 2026, following his extradition to the United States. He was detained in the custody of the US Marshals Service pending further court proceedings.

According to US prosecutors, Raheem allegedly conspired with Abayomi Quadri Eletu and other accomplices between 2018 and 2023 to obtain fraudulent refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the US tax authority, by using the identities of American taxpayers and tax professionals.

The alleged scheme involved more than 300 fraudulent tax returns seeking over $100 million in refunds. However, the amount represents the value of the claims allegedly submitted and does not necessarily mean the full sum was paid out.

Investigators alleged that the group obtained confidential personal information, including names, addresses and Social Security numbers, by creating online accounts with the IRS and requesting private taxpayer records.

The suspects allegedly used the stolen information to file false tax returns and direct refund payments to prepaid debit cards under their control. They also allegedly changed taxpayers’ registered addresses and arranged for mail to be forwarded to locations where they could intercept correspondence from the tax authority.

In some cases, prosecutors alleged, members of the group impersonated legitimate taxpayers to verify their identities and facilitate the release of refunds.

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The alleged proceeds were subsequently moved through transactions designed to conceal their origins. Prosecutors said the suspects purchased money orders in amounts intended to avoid reporting thresholds and used them to buy used vehicles through auction platforms. Some of the vehicles were allegedly shipped to Nigeria, while other proceeds were spent on designer clothing and personal items.

US Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said the alleged scheme involved hundreds of stolen identities and affected individual taxpayers as well as the US Treasury.

The investigation was conducted by the IRS Criminal Investigation division and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, with assistance from other American and international law enforcement agencies.

Raheem’s extradition followed an international search. Federal agents reportedly attempted to arrest him at his residence in April 2026 but were unable to take him into custody.

Investigators later discovered that he had booked a flight from Mexico City to Benin. He arrived in Benin on April 15, 2026, and was arrested by local authorities pursuant to an INTERPOL Red Notice, an international request to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or similar legal proceedings.

Beninese authorities subsequently extradited him to the United States. US prosecutors described the transfer as the second extradition from Benin to the United States.

A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia indicted Raheem on February 24, 2026, on charges including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, 14 counts of access device fraud and 14 counts of aggravated identity theft.

In plain language, the fraud conspiracy charge alleges that he worked with others to cheat victims through postal services or electronic communications. The money laundering charge alleges that the group agreed to conceal or disguise money believed to have come from criminal activity.

The access device fraud counts concern the alleged illegal use of payment cards or other devices and account details to obtain money or access funds. The aggravated identity theft counts allege the unauthorised use of other people’s identifying information in connection with certain serious crimes.

If convicted, Raheem faces substantial prison terms. The fraud conspiracy and money laundering charges each carry maximum penalties of up to 20 years, while the access device fraud charges carry up to 10 years. Each aggravated identity theft conviction carries a mandatory two-year prison term under applicable federal law, generally imposed consecutively to the sentence for the underlying offence. Actual sentences would depend on the convictions and applicable sentencing rules.

His alleged co-conspirator, Eletu, was separately indicted in the Western District of Texas on February 17, 2026. He was arrested in the United Kingdom, where extradition proceedings remain pending.

The case is being prosecuted by attorneys from the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and the Justice Department’s Tax Section.

Raheem has not been convicted of the allegations. He is presumed innocent unless and until prosecutors prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

US Extradites Nigerian Over Alleged $100m Tax Refund Fraud

International

Operation Blackout: FBI Arrests Nine in Nigeria, Seizes 53 Devices

Published

2 days ago

October 27, 2026

Trends Admin

Operation Blackout: FBI Arrests Nine in Nigeria, Seizes 53 Devices

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested nine suspects in Nigeria and seized 53 electronic devices in an international operation targeting cybercrime networks accused of defrauding victims, particularly in the United States.

The operation, code-named Operation Blackout, also led to the identification of approximately $11 million in funds across multiple countries that could potentially be frozen, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.

Patel disclosed the development in a statement published on his official X account on Sunday, October 25, describing the operation as part of efforts to dismantle international criminal networks accused of stealing billions of dollars from unsuspecting victims.

“Operation Blackout is taking the fight directly to the international cybercriminal networks stealing billions from Americans,” Patel said.

He added that the networks operated across national borders, exploiting victims and depriving them of their life savings.

“These scam centres exploit innocent victims, steal life savings, and operate across international borders believing they are beyond the reach of law enforcement. They’re wrong,” the FBI director stated.

Patel commended Nigerian law enforcement agencies and their partners in London for their cooperation, warning that suspects operating from overseas would not escape prosecution simply because they were outside the United States.

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The FBI has not publicly identified the nine suspects arrested in Nigeria or disclosed the specific locations where they were apprehended. Details of the individual allegations against them have also not been made public.

The arrests formed part of a broader international law enforcement campaign targeting online fraud networks operating across West Africa.

According to the US Department of Justice, the coordinated enforcement exercise involved agencies from Nigeria, Ghana, the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries, alongside private-sector technology and financial companies.

The wider operation resulted in 28 arrests, comprising nine in Nigeria and 19 in Ghana. Authorities in Ghana also seized 303 electronic devices, while the Nigerian operation accounted for the 53 devices seized.

Investigators and participating companies additionally helped identify more than 3.7 million fraudulent online accounts, pages and groups, which were subsequently removed or disrupted.

The US Department of Justice said the targeted schemes included law enforcement impersonation scams, digital arrest extortion, cryptocurrency investment fraud, commonly known as “pig butchering”, and other online fraud operations targeting victims across different countries.

The operation also uncovered human trafficking linked to scam activities in Ghana. Authorities there identified 117 people described as victims of trafficking who were awaiting repatriation to Nigeria.

Officials also identified 89 fraud victims in Ghana who suffered estimated losses of approximately $8.3 million, according to the US Justice Department.

The trafficking victims and fraud victims were identified as separate groups in the department’s account of the operation.

Although the FBI director announced that $11 million in potentially freezable funds had been identified across several countries, authorities have not confirmed that the entire amount has been frozen, seized or returned to victims.

The distinction is important because identifying funds that may be frozen does not mean that the money has already been recovered.

The crackdown highlights growing international cooperation against cyber-enabled fraud, with investigators increasingly working with technology companies and financial institutions to identify suspicious accounts, trace funds and disrupt the digital infrastructure used by criminal networks.

Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies have participated in several international investigations involving alleged online fraud. The latest operation adds to efforts to pursue suspects accused of targeting victims across national borders.

The FBI has not disclosed when the nine suspects arrested in Nigeria will appear in court or whether formal charges have been filed against each of them.

The allegations against the suspects remain subject to investigation and due process.