The upscale neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, in Los Angeles, is facing a violent forest fire this Tuesday.
The flames are getting closer to homes, forcing 30,000 people to flee.
The flames at the gates of Los Angeles. A violent forest fire is ravaging the heights of the large Californian city, forcing thousands of people to flee since Tuesday. The authorities do not hide their concern: winds with the power of a hurricane pose, according to them, a “mortal danger”.
The fire broke out late Tuesday morning in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, populated with multi-million dollar villas where Hollywood celebrities live, in the mountains northwest of the city.
Panicked residents had to abandon their vehicles on one of the only roads entering and exiting the area, fleeing on foot from the fire which has already ravaged nearly 1,200 hectares.
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“This is going to be, I think, a difficult night“between Tuesday and Wednesday in Los Angeles, judged Daniel Swain, specialist in extreme events at UCLA University.”This looks very, very worrying. (…) And what is happening now is only the beginning, because the weather conditions are going to get seriously worse.”
To access the neighborhood, firefighters had to use bulldozers to clear dozens of vehicles from the roadway – including expensive BMW, Tesla and Mercedes models – leaving crushed carcasses with blaring alarms on the side of the road. The fire caused a huge cloud of smoke, visible from the entire megacity.
-The authorities identify “many structures already destroyed”explained California Governor Gavin Newsom during a press briefing Tuesday evening. Despite the chaotic evacuation, no deaths or injuries were reported, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said.
Around 30,000 people are under evacuation orders, according to authorities. “I never thought wind could have such an effect on fire.”Gary told local channel KTLA. This resident of the neighborhood reported seeing “embers dragged 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 their horns, there were flames everywhere around us, left and right. (…) It was terrifying.”
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“.
