At least five people died in the ferocious fires which raged Wednesday January 8 around Los Angeles and now surround the Hollywood district. Residents were ordered to evacuate by authorities after a new outbreak broke out a few hundred meters from Hollywood Boulevard. “Immediate threat to life. This is a legal order to LEAVE NOW. The area is legally closed to public access. Los Angeles firefighters said.
“The flames have engulfed our dreams”
Around 1,500 buildings were destroyed and more than 100,000 residents of the American megacity were forced to flee in the face of the flames. A toll which could further increase, according to the authorities. Los Angeles is swept by “hurricane-force winds combined with extreme drought conditions,” summarized Mayor Karen Bass during a press briefing Wednesday evening. Gusts sometimes measured up to 160 km/h, which transfer the embers several kilometers.
A first fire broke out Tuesday morning in the hills of the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which is home to celebrities and numerous villas valued at several million dollars. Since then, outbreaks have multiplied and often explode very quickly, within a few minutes.
After the San Fernando Valley and Altadena, a new fire broke out Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills, a few hundred meters from the famous Boulevard of the Stars. The artery quickly filled with stressed motorists, stuck in traffic and trying to evacuate under the sound of horns, AFP journalists noted. “We don’t have enough firefighters in Los Angeles County to deal with this situation,” lamented Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.
Altadena, located north of Los Angeles, looks like a recently bombed area, with buildings still burning and homes reduced to ashes. William Gonzales returned to see his home, evacuated the day before. He tells AFP “having lost almost everything” : “The flames have engulfed our dreams. There’s nothing left but ashes here.” Jesus Hernandez assures that his house, like the many others devoured by the blaze, “no longer worth anything […] See them leave [en flammes] in a matter of seconds, it’s really sad.”
Empty fire hydrants
During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, imposing plumes of black smoke rose above the second city in the United States, with the acrid smell of burning in the air. The winds pose a “mortal danger”, according to weather services.
Residents were urged by authorities to conserve water as three reservoirs supplying fire hydrants were emptied in the fight against flames in Pacific Palisades. In addition to the winds, meteorologist Daniel Swain points out in particular “the lack of rain and the abnormal heat and drought for six months” to explain these incidents.
President Joe Biden, who canceled the trip he was scheduled to make to Italy on Thursday, went to the firefighters on Wednesday at a fire station in Santa Monica. The day before, he had released federal aid to facilitate the fight against the flames. Never sparing of controversy, his successor Donald Trump attacked the Democratic governor of California, Gavin Newsom, one of his pet peeves. He designated him as “responsible” of this “real disaster” by claiming – falsely – that the state’s water shortage was due to its environmental policies, repeating his fanciful claims that rainwater was diverted to protect a “useless fish”.
The Hollywood industry turned upside down
With these fires, the abundant news in the world of cinema is also turned upside down. The flames caused the cancellation of many movie premieres and closures of venues, such as the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park.
The Oscar nominations, which were to take place on January 17, were postponed until the 19th. The Critics Choice Awards ceremony which was to be held on Sunday was also postponed, and the nominations for the SAG Awards, the American actors’ union awards, were postponed. were announced by simple press release.
Several Hollywood celebrities are among the tens of thousands of people ordered to evacuate. The star of Star Wars Mark Hamill announced on Instagram that he had to leave his house in Malibu, a city popular with stars, on Tuesday. Scientists regularly point out that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events. Warnings that now resonate in the flesh of Angelenos.
“It’s probably climate change which affects everything. I’m sure that added to it all.” sighs Debbie Collins, in front of her store threatened by flames in Altadena. “The world is really bad and we need to do more.”
