Several fires are still ravaging different areas of Los Angeles, the large Californian city, on Thursday January 9. At least five people died as a result of these fires fueled by strong winds. Between 1,000 and 1,500 buildings, mainly homes, were destroyed and more than 130,000 residents were forced to flee. This toll could rise further, according to the authorities.
On the other hand, the evacuation order issued Wednesday for residents of the historic Hollywood district was lifted overnight for most of the areas concerned, Los Angeles firefighters announced.
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Los Angeles is swept by “hurricane-force winds combined with extreme drought conditions”summarized the mayor, Karen Bass, during a press briefing Wednesday evening, specifying that air operations were underway to extinguish the flames.
A first fire broke out Tuesday morning in the hills of the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which is home to celebrities and many villas. More than half a dozen area schools were damaged or destroyed, including Palisades Charter High School, which has appeared in numerous Hollywood productions including the horror film Carrie of 1976. The Palisades Fire, which destroyed a thousand buildings, is already considered the most destructive for Los Angeles.
The gusts, which sometimes blew up to 160 km/h on Wednesday, sometimes carry embers for kilometers, multiplying outbreaks.
After the San Fernando Valley and Altadena, a new fire – called “Sunset Fire” – broke out on Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills, a few hundred meters from the famous Walk of Fame. The artery famous for its stars placed on the sidewalks quickly filled with stressed motorists, stuck in traffic and trying to evacuate under the horns, noted journalists from Agence France-Presse.
People pulling suitcases left hotels on foot, while some onlookers filmed the fire on their phones.
A shortage of firefighters
“We don’t have enough firefighters in Los Angeles County to deal with this situation”lamented Anthony Marrone, the Los Angeles County fire chief. The state of Oregon sent 300 firefighters and the state of Washington 146 people. Utah, New Mexico and Arizona also sent teams. “More than 7,500” firefighters are mobilized, California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X.
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Since Tuesday evening, imposing plumes of black smoke have risen above the second city in the United States, with the acrid smell of burning in the air. The winds pose a “mortal danger”according to the weather services.
Residents were urged by officials to conserve water as three reservoirs supplying fire hydrants were emptied by battling blazes in Pacific Palisades. “Fighting these fires with urban water systems is a real challenge”underlined the head of the municipal water and electricity service (LADWP), Janisse Quinones.
In addition to the winds, meteorologist Daniel Swain points out in particular “the lack of rain and the abnormal heat and drought for six months” to explain these incidents.
Many stars affected
President Joe Biden, traveling to California, visited a barracks in Santa Monica on Wednesday before returning to Washington. The day before, he had released federal aid to facilitate the fight against the flames. He canceled a trip to Italy scheduled for January 9-12 “in order to focus on managing the overall federal response in the days to come”declared White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.
The fires caused the cancellation of many film premieres and closures of sites, such as that of the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. The Oscar nominations, which are due to take place on January 17, have been pushed back to the 19th. The Critics Choice Awards ceremony which was to be held on Sunday has also been postponed, and the nominations for the SAG Awards, the American actors’ union awards, were announced by simple press release.
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Several Hollywood celebrities are among the tens of thousands of people ordered to evacuate. Known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the Sagatar WarsMark Hamill announced on Instagram that he had to leave his house in Malibu, a city popular with stars, on Tuesday.
Actor Billy Cristal (When Harry Met Sally) for his part, issued a statement announcing that the house he had lived in since 1979 with his wife, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, was destroyed.
