To combat the fires threatening Los Angeles, the governor of California declared a state of emergency in the megalopolis and surrounding counties on Wednesday, September 11, after the fires had already destroyed dozens of homes.
Gavin Newsom “has declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties to fight the Bridge Fire and in Orange and Riverside counties to fight the Airport Fire.”according to a statement released Wednesday.
On Thursday, September 12, local authorities warned that the fires remained dangerous, out of control and unpredictable, although the drop in temperatures is making it easier for firefighters to fight the flames. The Californian megacity is enjoying milder weather after several days of a heatwave that saw temperatures sometimes exceed 43 °C. So far, the fires have ravaged about 450 square kilometers.
The Bridge Fire, one of three wildfires raging northeast of the second-largest city in the United States, has already destroyed about 30 homes and ravaged 206 square kilometers in the Los Angeles hills. Residents in the towns of Wrightwood and Mount Baldy have been ordered to evacuate their homes. Images from the town of Wrightwood show burned carcasses of vehicles and buildings reduced to ashes.
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The fire broke out on Sunday. According to firefighters, it is still not under control and could still spread due to dense and very dry vegetation. If such an expansion occurs, the CalFire agency fears that the fire could end up generating its own weather by forming “pyrocumulus”, dangerous clouds capable of creating lightning and strong winds. “These winds can go in any direction, which is extremely dangerous for the growth of fires.”meteorologist Bryan Lewis explained to San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said three people, including a member of his squad, were trapped Wednesday in a remote area near Mount Baldy before being rescued.
Suspect arrested
Also northeast of the megacity, the “Line Fire”, a fire of criminal origin, consumed 150 km² in one week, as of Thursday, according to the authorities. The inhabitants of mountain villages were asked to leave their homes while several roads were blocked. A 34-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday. Investigators suspect him of being a repeat arsonist, according to several local media.
Thousands of firefighters are on site. “California is deploying all available resources to fight these devastating fires.”said Newsom, who visited a command post for the Line Fire on Wednesday. More than 5,700 people have been mobilized to fight the three fires, his office said.
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On the Line Fire, shifts are now 28 hours instead of the usual 24, according to Capt. Kyle Arledge of the Ventura County Fire Department. “We don’t sleep much, but honestly, that’s what we signed up for.”he confided.
Southeast of Los Angeles, the Airport Fire, which broke out on Monday, was also continuing to grow on Thursday. In the hills and canyons surrounding the city of Lake Elsinore, several homes and vehicles were destroyed, according to images from local media. There too, the work of firefighters is now made easier by the drop in temperatures, which allows the cool morning air produced by the Pacific Ocean to reach inland, according to Capt. Steve Concialdi of Orange County.
Residents’ sense of uncertainty was also heightened Thursday morning when a 4.7-magnitude earthquake struck the region. The quake, centered near Malibu, was felt widely in Los Angeles and beyond, but caused no damage.
After two rainy winters that provided a relative respite, California is experiencing a very active fire season this year. The “Golden State” suffered several heat waves this summer, and suffered the fourth largest wildfire in its history in July-August, the “Park Fire,” which ravaged more than 1,700 km² – an area equivalent to that of Guadeloupe – in the mountainous regions northeast of San Francisco.
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