In a few hours, the flames have already ravaged more than 3,800 hectares in the surroundings of Lake Castaic. They are fueled by the hot, dry Santa Ana winds that continue to blow across the regionpushing 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.
“I pray our house doesn’t burn”a man told television station KTLA, hastily loading his car.
More than 4,600 firefighters are engaged on siteassisted 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 north to south.” of the State, repeated the American president during his first television interview since his inauguration, on the favorite channel of conservatives, Fox News.
Concerns
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.
California Governor Gavin Newsom assured “monitor 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.
-“The situation we find ourselves in today is very different from the one that prevailed” about two weeks ago, when the first fires hit the megalopolis, insisted Mr. Marrone. “It’s a good example of what we can do when we have enough personnel and enough aircraft.”
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.”once again heavily insisted Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
Prisons under threat
Near the lake, four prisons housing around 4,700 people are threatened by the fire.
One of them was evacuated and its 500 inmates were transferred to another structure, according to Sheriff Luna. Inmates from other prisons are currently being held there, but buses have been sent to evacuate them if necessary.
The flames cut several roads and caused the temporary closure of a section of highway in the region.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown.
Southern California has no no significant rain for eight months, which has dried out the vegetation and transformed the region into a powder kegeven in the heart of winter.
“The climate is definitely changing, because it's January, and we've had a lot of fires over the last couple of weeks.”sighed Mr. Marrone, the fire chief.
The firefighters will “stay put all night” from Wednesday to contain the flames, but their effectiveness “will depend on weather conditions”he added.
This new fire “has the potential to become very large”warned Daniel Swain, specialist in extreme events at UCLA University. In particular, if it reaches Ventura County, where dried vegetation is “very dense”.
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