The 250 firefighters mobilized are struggling to contain a monster fire which broke out on Tuesday January 7 in the Californian city. Wind gusts of more than 120 km/h help spread the flames through the streets, endangering residents.
Nightmare scene in Los Angeles. A spectacular fire on Tuesday, January 7, forced thousands of people to evacuate the hills overlooking the American city, plagued by violent winds which spread the flames and caused a “mortal danger”alert the authorities. 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 devastated nearly 1,200 hectares. The authorities identify “many structures already destroyed”, California Governor Gavin Newsom explained during a press conference Tuesday evening.
Around 30,000 people are under evacuation orders, according to authorities. No injuries have been reported at this time. 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, then swept by violent gusts. Warm Santa Ana winds, typical of the Californian winter, are expected to blow up to 160 km/h in the region Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the US Weather Service (NWS), which risks spreading the flames very quickly.
“We are absolutely not out of the woods”insisted Gavin Newsom, recalling that the gusts will “reach their peak” Wednesday night, between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. More than 250 firefighters are currently mobilized, added Kristin Crowley, a Los Angeles fire official.
Global warming
“The combination of strong winds and topography” steep neighborhood “makes the task extremely difficult”she insisted. Air assets will probably not be able to intervene during the night. The firefighters will even have to fight on several fronts: Tuesday evening, a new fire broke out near Pasadena, north of Los Angeles and quickly ravaged more than 400 hectares, according to the agency CalFire.
More and more extreme events
“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. On December 10, it was the coastal town of Malibu, also in California, which was engulfed in flames. A few weeks earlier, on November 8, Los Angeles was already surrounded by flames and thousands of people were ordered to evacuate the area. After two winters of respite, thanks to the rains, California is experiencing a very active fire season favored by frequent storms and a very hot climate.
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. 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.
