A little respite in Los Angeles: the multiple fires raging in the Californian megacity for the fourth day have caused at least ten deaths, but the wind which fanned the flames weakened on Friday.
“It looks like the apocalypse,” Oren Waters told AFP, in front of his house reduced to ashes in the town of Altadena, one of the two main disaster areas, north of Los Angeles. “To come back and see this is unimaginable. »
At least ten people died in these violent fires, according to the authorities. Entire sections of the second largest city in the United States are devastated, charred: more than 10,000 buildings have been destroyed by the flames, according to Californian fire departments.
“It reminded me of a war scene, with bombing,” President Joe Biden said during a meeting at the White House.
AFP journalists flew over the coast of Malibu and the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Thursday: instead of the sumptuous villas of multimillionaires and celebrities with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, there are often only scrap metal skeletons left , filled with ashes.
“It’s crazy. All these houses, disappeared…” breathes Albert Azouz, helicopter pilot.
The wind nevertheless weakened on Friday, which will help firefighters fight the flames, while five main outbreaks are still active.
“We are seeing a slight decline now [dans la force des vents]but this will especially be the case in the afternoon,” meteorologist Mike Wofford analyzes to AFP. “And tomorrow [samedi]there will be no real wind until the evening. »
However, the conditions, with extreme drought and winds expected to strengthen later, remain worrying.
Confusion, curfew and looting
On Thursday afternoon, a new fire broke out north of the main home in Pacific Palisades, near the wealthy Hidden Hills neighborhood, where star Kim Kardashian lives. It has since been largely brought under control.
Across the Californian megacity, depending on the orders received, evacuations number in the hundreds of thousands.
Several evacuation alerts sent by mistake to residents’ phones caused “panic” and “confusion” on Thursday and Friday, according to local authorities.
“There is a great level of frustration, anger, fear about the erroneous messages that have been sent through the online alert system across Los Angeles County. I can’t say enough how sorry I am,” Kevin McGowan, director of the Los Angeles County Office of Crisis Management, said at a press conference.
Faced with increasing looting in disaster or evacuated areas, a curfew, in effect between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, was decreed by local authorities on Friday. Soldiers were also deployed.
-Before this decision, residents were already acting as vigilantes and patrolling to protect what remains of their neighborhoods.
“I didn’t save this damn house for some idiot to come and steal from me.” There is no way,” Nicholas Norman, who guards his home armed with a hunting rifle, told AFP in the middle of the ruins of Altadena.
“Let’s be clear: looting will not be tolerated,” insisted the Democratic governor of California, Gavin Newsom.
Questions about water and firefighters
Among the affected residents, questions and criticisms emerge.
If his mother’s house miraculously escaped the furious flames in Altadena, unlike neighboring homes, “California is a state that burns, we should not be overwhelmed when it comes to the firefighters,” grumbles Kalen Astoor, assistant thirty-year-old lawyer. “This is where we have to put the money: [contre] earthquakes and fires. »
These powerful fires, fanned by gusts that blew up to 160 km/h in the first days, sweeping embers for kilometers, could be the costliest on record: AccuWeather estimates the total damage and losses at between 135 and US$150 billion.
Californians are being urged by authorities to save water, as some reservoirs supplying fire hydrants have been emptied by the fight against flames.
President-elect Donald Trump spread false information on his Truth Social network, claiming that California is running out of water because of Democratic environmental policies that would divert rainwater to protect “useless fish.” In fact, most of the water used by Los Angeles comes from the Colorado River, and is used primarily by the agricultural sector.
The cinema industry, in its lair of Hollywood, with several film shoots and series stopped, or even sporting events, such as a postponed Lakers match, have not escaped the consequences of the fires.
The hot, dry Santa Ana winds currently blowing are a classic of California autumns and winters. But this time they reached an intensity not seen since 2011, according to meteorologists.
A nightmare for firefighters: California is coming out of two very rainy years which gave rise to lush vegetation, now dried up by a glaring lack of rain for eight months.
Scientists regularly point out that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.
