An intense fire carried by violent winds rages on the outskirts of Los Angeles

An impressive blaze tears through the night on the outskirts of Los Angeles. The fire broke out late Tuesday morning, January 7, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, populated with multi-million dollar villas in the mountains northwest of the city. It has already ravaged nearly 1,200 hectares, local channel KCAL announced. The authorities identify “many structures already destroyed”, explained California Governor Gavin Newsom during a press briefing Tuesday evening.

About 30,000 people are under evacuation orders and more than 13,000 structures are threatened, according to authorities. No injuries have been reported at this time.

“I never thought that wind could have such an effect on fire”Gary told local channel KTLA. This resident of the neighborhood reported seeing “embers dragged for 100 meters” in the air.

Many residents evacuated in panic, with just a few belongings and their pets. Many have found themselves stuck in traffic, like Kelsey Trainor. “There was nowhere to go and people were abandoning their cars”she said. “Everyone was honking, there were flames all around us, left and right. (…) It was terrifying”she confided.

A huge cloud of smoke

Actor Steve Guttenberg, who lives in Pacific Palisades, urged people who abandoned their cars to leave their keys behind so they can be moved to make way for fire trucks. “It’s not a parking lot,” declared to KTLA, the actor who himself tries to move vehicles. Firefighters had to clear the roadway with a bulldozer to access the neighborhood.

Some trees and plants on the Getty Villa grounds burned Tuesday evening, but the museum’s staff and collection are safe, its president, Katherine Fleming, said in a statement.

The fire caused a huge cloud of smoke, visible from the entire megacity. The fire broke out at the worst time for Los Angeles, swept by violent gusts. Warm Santa Ana winds, typical of California’s winter, are expected to blow up to 100 mph in the region, according to the US Weather Service (NWS). Enough to spread the flames very quickly and place a “mortal danger”.

“We are absolutely not out of the woods”insisted Mr. Newsom, recalling that the gusts will “reach their peak” during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. (between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Paris). The Democratic governor asked Californians to “respect evacuation orders” which are not always followed in the United States.

“The strongest wind episode in this region since 2011”

More than 250 firefighters are currently mobilized, added Kristin Crowley, a Los Angeles fire official. “The combination of strong winds and topography” steep neighborhood “makes the task extremely difficult”she insisted. It will be difficult for air assets to intervene at night.

“This is expected to be the strongest wind event in this region since 2011”warned Daniel Swain, specialist in extreme events at UCLA University. But the risk of fire is according to him “much higher” than at the time. Because after two very rainy years which reinvigorated the vegetation, southern California suffered “the driest start to winter on record”. In other words, anything that has grown back abundantly now acts as fuel for the fire.

Scientists regularly point out that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events. “November, December, January… There is no more fire season. It takes place all year round »recalled Governor Newsom.

Tuesday evening, 28,300 homes were without electricity due to violent winds, according to the town hall. In total, half a million customers risk being deprived of electricity preventively.

The storm disrupted the visit of President Joe Biden, who came to California on Tuesday to announce the creation of two national monuments, vast protected areas in the south of the state. Present in Los Angeles, the 82-year-old Democrat immediately approved federal aid for the second largest city in the United States. “It’s something (…) that we must appreciate at its true value, at this moment in American history”greeted Mr. Newsom.

Donald Trump, who is due to succeed Mr. Biden in a few days at the White House, threatened in September to cut federal aid usually received by California to fight against forest fires.