Los Angeles firefighters have been battling large fires since Tuesday morning. They announced the death of at least two people and the treatment of “many injured”. More than 30,000 residents are under evacuation orders as the fires grow. Nearly 30 km2 and “at least 1,000 structures” have already burned.
More than 1,400 firefighters are awaiting reinforcements in Los Angeles. The main metropolis on the American West Coast has been affected by violent fires since Tuesday. Reinforced by the warm winter wind, with gusts of up to 95 km/h, the fires are fueled by vegetation that is as dry as it is abundant, in a region where it has only rained 25 mm since May. They started in the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, northwest of Los Angeles, where several celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Steven Spielberg and Ben Affleck live.
According to firefighters, more than 30,000 residents are subject to an evacuation order. Images taken on site show entire families trying to flee by car, amid heavy traffic jams. Some abandoned their vehicles on the highway and authorities had to deploy bulldozers to allow fire trucks to move. The damage has already deprived more than 180,000 people of electricity, a figure which could quickly rise to 500,000, according to suppliers.
-“More than 20 square kilometers have burned and the fire is growing. The fire is not at all under control. The number of structures destroyed is estimated at 1,000,” County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone explained this morning. The firefighters have a lot to do, because other outbreaks have broken out in other places in the city. This is particularly the case in the districts of Altadena and Pasadena, to the northeast of the megacity, where the fire is raging on “more than 8 km2« without being controlled. “Two civilians were killed » announced the firefighters. Other fires are being reported in the San Fernando Valley or Riverside County. Investigations have been launched to determine the causes. To supplement the workforce, all firefighters on leave were mobilized.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency. He participates in meetings with the various local and federal authorities, including the White House, to provide a “coordinated response”. President Joe Biden, already present in California before the fire, remained there. Canadair planes and helicopters notably carried out “ several hundred drops » during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. Operations made difficult by gusts of wind, according to the Coulson Aviation group, which deploys its planes to the disaster.
