“I pray our house doesn't burn down,” one man told television station KTLA, hastily loading his car north of Los Angeles. On Wednesday, a new fire broke out and spread at high speed, causing thousands of evacuation orders in a region already shaken by devastating fires.
In a few hours, the flames have already ravaged more than 3,800 hectares in the surroundings of Lake Castaic. They are fanned by the hot, dry Santa Ana winds which continue to blow across the region, pushing a large cloud of smoke above the blaze.
Evacuation orders were issued to more than 31,000 people living in areas around the lake, located about 50 kilometers north of Los Angeles and near the city of Santa Clarita.
4,600 firefighters engaged on site
More than 4,600 firefighters are engaged on site, assisted by planes and helicopters relentlessly dropping water and fire retardant on the area.
Donald Trump falsely claimed again Wednesday that California is running out of water because of environmental policies put in place by Democrats that would divert rainwater to protect a fish. “I don't think we should give anything to California until they let the water flow from the north to the south” of the state, the American president repeated during his first television interview since his inauguration, on the favorite channel of conservatives, Fox News.
Strong wind warnings until Friday
The gusts are expected to strengthen in the evening, and the weather service has issued a strong wind warning until Friday morning.
Enough to test the nerves of residents, at a time when Los Angeles is barely recovering from fires which broke out in early January and disfigured part of the city, killing nearly thirty people. The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, assured that he was “monitoring the situation closely”. :
-Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone nevertheless wanted to reassure on Wednesday evening. “The situation remains changing and the fire remains difficult to contain, but we are gaining the upper hand,” he assured.
Due to the recent fires in Los Angeles, many firefighters, helicopters and Canadairs from all over the western United States are still on site, which makes it easier to fight the flames.
A “very different” situation from two weeks ago
“The situation in which we find ourselves today is very different from that which prevailed” a fortnight ago, when the first fires hit the megalopolis, insisted Anthony Marrone. “It’s a good example of what we can do when we have enough people and enough planes. »
This does not stop the authorities from imploring residents to learn lessons from the recent deadly fires. Because in the United States, evacuation orders are not always respected.
“If there is an evacuation order, leave. Don't put your life in danger. Do not put the lives of first responders in danger. It’s not worth it,” insisted Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
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