Update on the situation, early Friday evening (local time)
The surrounding areas of Los Angeles are currently devastated by six different outbreaks.
- The most extensive (86 km2), the Palisades Firein the west of the second city in the United States, devours the upscale district of Pacific Palisades, known for its villas of multimillionaires and celebrities, located between Malibu and Santa Monica. This fire is now 8% contained, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
- The second (55 km2), l’Eaton Firehits Altadena, an eastern suburb of Los Angeles. This fire is contained to 3%.
- Four outbreaks are much smaller. THE Kenneth Fire (4 km2), the Hurst Fire (3 km2) and the Lidia Fire (1,6 km2) are more controlled, contained at 50%, 70% and 98% respectively. L’Archer Firewhich erupted on Friday, the most recent and smallest of all, extends over 77,000 m2. It is located near the Kenneth Fire, north of Los Angeles.
- On the other hand, three minor outbreaks, the Sunset Firethe Woodley Fire and theOlivas Firewere quickly brought under control by firefighters in recent days.
????To date, at least 11 people have lost their livesthe Los Angeles County medical examiner announced Friday. Five were killed in the Pacific Palisades fire, and six in the Eaton fire.
????At least 10,000 houses and buildings have already gone up in smokeincluding at least 5,000 in the Palisades Fire and between 4,000 and 5,000 in the Eaton Fire, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. These two outbreaks are already the two most destructive in the history of Los Angeles County.
????Approximately 150,000 people remain under evacuation orders. The authorities urged residents at press conferences to respect evacuation orders, with some trying to stay to save their homes.
????The neighborhoods affected by the flames face a second danger: looting. Police have arrested at least 20 people for thefts in the Los Angeles area since the first fires broke out Tuesday. The Los Angeles County Sheriff announced a nighttime curfew and announced that the National Guard had been tasked to patrol the affected areas.
????With luxury homes destroyed, the fires could be the costliest on record. The private meteorological service AccuWeather estimates the damage at $135 billion to $150 billion, but it could be more.
???? Joe Biden said Friday, during a meeting at the White House devoted to the fires, that the disaster areas looked like “ to a war scene, with bombings ».
