In the United States, a huge fire north of Los Angeles leads to evacuations

The flames have already devoured 300 hectares on the outskirts of Los Angeles on Tuesday, and are fueled by very strong gusts.

Flames fueled by strong gusts. An impressive fire caused evacuations on Tuesday January 7 in the hills overlooking Los Angeles in the United States. The city is experiencing violent winds capable of quickly spreading the flames and posing a “mortal danger”announced local authorities. The fire broke out late in the morning in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which borders the Santa Monica Mountains to the north of the city. According to several witnesses, some homes have already burned in this upscale area, populated with multi-million dollar villas built in the middle of steep canyons.

At midday, the fire already covered 300 hectares on the outskirts of Los Angeles, according to the CalFire agency. “Evacuate the Palisades area now.”recommended the city on X, while dozens of firefighters battled the flames. The fire caused a huge column of smoke, visible from the entire megacity. The neighboring town of Malibu, which already suffered a large fire in December, has closed its schools.

The fire broke out while Los Angeles was being swept by particularly violent gusts: hot Santa Ana winds, typical of the Californian winter, were expected to blow up to 160 km/h, according to the US Weather Services (NWS). ). Enough to spread the flames very quickly and greatly complicate the task of the firefighters. The weather warning for strong winds is expected to remain in place until Thursday evening.

Many firefighters have been deployed in advance and are fighting “aggressively” against the fire, assured the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, on social networks. “Area residents are urged to heed evacuation warnings and follow the instructions of public safety officials,” the Democrat added.