Around 180,000 people remain under evacuation orders. The razed or damaged buildings number in the thousands and the toll has risen to at least ten deaths, the authorities announced Thursday evening. US President Joe Biden deplored “very widespread” and “devastating” fires during a crisis meeting a few days before the end of his mandate.
AFP journalists flew over Malibu and Pacific Palisades on Thursday: instead of sumptuous villas with breathtaking views of the ocean, often only scrap metal skeletons, filled with ashes, remain.
Military reinforcements
Several hundred military reinforcements must arrive on site, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday evening.
The Democrat ordered the deployment of the National Guard, with a dual mission: to assist the thousands of firefighters fighting the fire, and to restore order, because the region is the victim of looting. At least 20 people have been arrested for this reason in recent days. “Let’s be clear: looting will not be tolerated,” he insisted.
In the middle of the ruins of Altadena, some improvise as vigilantes and patrol to protect what remains of their neighborhoods. A curfew was declared in evacuated areas of the coastal city of Santa Monica.
“I didn’t save this damn house for some idiot to come and steal from me. There is no way,” Nicholas Norman told AFP, who will spend the night in front of his home, after keeping the flames away with buckets of water.
“I don’t know if anyone will be able to come back for a while,” sighs Kalen Astoor, another resident, devastated by the panorama of “death and destruction” offered by Altadena.
New home
The gusts which blew up to 160 km/h in recent days, dragging embers for kilometers, have calmed down. But the wind has not disappeared and the hills remain ultra-dry: conditions remain “critical”, according to the authorities.
“The winds retain their historic character. This is absolutely unprecedented,” warns Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
The weather alert will last until Friday, and “significant development of fires remains likely”, according to the weather services.
Thursday afternoon, another outbreak broke out near Calabasas and the wealthy Hidden Hills neighborhood, where star Kim Kardashian lives.
The legendary Hollywood district, threatened for a time by the flames, can breathe: the fire in its hills was brought under control by firefighters, according to local authorities, and the evacuation order lifted Thursday morning.
Californians are being urged by authorities to save water, as some reservoirs supplying fire hydrants have been emptied by the fight against flames.
Cinema disrupted
President-elect Donald Trump spread false information on his Truth Social network, claiming that California is running out of water because of Democratic environmental policies that would divert rainwater to protect a “useless fish.”
In fact, most of the water used by Los Angeles comes from the Colorado River, and is used primarily by the agricultural sector.
“Climate change is a reality,” reaffirmed Joe Biden, who will cede power on January 20 to his climate-sceptic successor.
The fires are disrupting the cinema industry: several film and series shoots have been stopped, and the Oscar nominations have been postponed by two days, to January 19.
Closed for the last two days, the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park will reopen on Friday.
The hot, dry Santa Ana winds currently blowing are a classic of California autumns and winters. But this time they reached an intensity not seen since 2011, according to meteorologists.
A nightmare for firefighters: California is coming out of two very rainy years which gave rise to lush vegetation, now dried up by a glaring lack of rain for eight months.
Scientists regularly point out that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.
