The fire broke out on Wednesday, November 6 in Camarillo, California. At least 132 houses and 8,300 hectares of vegetation were swept away by the flames.
Since Wednesday, November 6, firefighters in California, in the United States, are still fighting a devastating fire which has already destroyed at least 132 houses and 8,300 hectares of vegetation, according to the latest bulletin from the CalFire agency.
The fire broke out in the morning in Camarillo on the outskirts of Los Angeles, gaining ground quickly due to the strength of the wind and favorable weather conditions.
10,000 people evacuated
The violence of the fire forced around 10,000 people to evacuate this hilly rural area, which has 30,000 inhabitants, northwest of Los Angeles. The flames initially spread very quickly thanks to powerful winds, with gusts of up to 130 km/h.
“We looked out the window and we saw a lot of smoke in the canyon. Motorists were honking their horns on the road and yelling ‘get out of here'”, says Joey Parish, affected resident, to BFMTV.
“We caught the cat and (…) we left with only these clothes on our backs,” he adds.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in the region to help fight the fire. According to the White House, US President Joe Biden called Gavin Newsom on Friday to discuss the “support needed” by those affected and the release of federal financial aid.
Le “Mountain Fire”
More than 2,000 firefighters are still hard at work trying to control what the Americans call the “Mountain Fire”. Friday evening, they reported progress against the flames, the wind having calmed.
“We are alongside them sorting the ashes. The residents are part of our families, they are people we protect every day through our work, and that doesn’t stop with the fires. We are there for them” , assured Robert Welsie, mobilized firefighter, to BFMTV.
After two rainy winters which provided a relative respite, California is experiencing a very active fire season this year. The vegetation reformed thanks to the precipitation of the last two years has dried up and becomes a powerful fuel.
“It’s always so scary every year,” shares one resident. “It’s a fairly common phenomenon here. In some places there are tornadoes and in others there are fires,” said another, resigned.
Related News :