Keystone-SDA
A massive fire forced thousands of people to evacuate the hills overlooking Los Angeles, United States, on Tuesday. Strong winds spread the flames and pose a “mortal danger,” according to authorities.
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January 8, 2025 – 02:43
(Keystone-ATS) The fire broke out late in the morning in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, populated with multimillion-dollar villas in the mountains northwest of the city. It has already ravaged more than 510 hectares. The authorities have identified “many structures already destroyed,” explained California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Around 30,000 people are under evacuation orders, according to the authorities. No injuries have been reported at this time.
“I never thought the wind could have such an effect on the fire,” Gary told local station KTLA. This resident of the neighborhood said he saw “embers dragged 100 meters” in the air.
Many residents evacuated in panic, with just a few belongings and their pets. Many found themselves stuck in traffic jams. “There was nowhere to go and people were abandoning their cars,” Kelsey Trainor said. “Everyone was honking. There were flames all around us, left, right […] It was terrifying.”
Gusts up to 160 km/h
Firefighters had to clear the roadway with a bulldozer to access the neighborhood. 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 the California winter, are expected to blow up to 100 mph in the region Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the U.S. Weather Service (NWS). Enough to spread the flames very quickly and pose a “mortal danger”.
“We are absolutely not out of the woods,” insisted Mr. Newsom, recalling that the gusts will “reach their peak” tonight, between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
More than 250 firefighters are currently mobilized, added Kristin Crowley, a Los Angeles fire official. “The combination of strong winds and the neighborhood’s steep topography makes the task extremely difficult,” she insisted. Air assets will probably not be able to intervene during the night.
Biden visit disrupted
“This is expected to be the strongest wind event in this region since 2011,” warned Daniel Swain, an extreme events specialist at UCLA University. But the risk of fire is, according to him, “much higher” than at the time.
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.
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.
