In images that look like science fiction, the city of Los Angeles appears invaded by flames since Tuesday. Two people died and many others were injured in the fierce fires that raged Wednesday in Los Angeles and forced tens of thousands of residents to flee under the threat of hurricane-force winds. We take stock of the situation.
What happened?
Late Tuesday morning, a fire broke out in the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, where Hollywood celebrities live. This fire had already covered more than 2,000 hectares as of Wednesday morning, destroying some 1,000 buildings in its path, according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.
Tuesday evening, a second fire broke out near Pasadena, north of Los Angeles, and had ravaged around 900 ha by Wednesday morning, according to the CalFire agency. Two other fires were burning on Wednesday north of the megalopolis, around Santa Clarita and in the San Fernando Valley.
At dawn, a vast billow of smoke rose above Los Angeles, with the acrid smell of burning in the air. City Mayor Karen Bass warned on X Wednesday that “the windstorm is expected to worsen throughout the morning.”
The warm “Santa Ana” winds, typical of the Californian winter, favor the spread of the flames. These winds are expected to blow up to 160 km/h in the region on Wednesday, according to the US Weather Service (NWS). Enough to spread the flames very quickly and pose a “mortal danger”.
According to figures communicated live by the California firefighters on their website, the fires ravaged almost 11,000 hectares this Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. (Paris time).
What is the human toll?
This Wednesday, in front of journalists, the Los Angeles fire chief gave an initial assessment of the disasters: “Unfortunately, we deplore two civilian deaths, the cause of which is unknown at this stage, and have many seriously injured people. » At least one firefighter was injured while battling the flames, according to American media.
Around 30,000 people, including Hollywood celebrities, were also ordered to evacuate. Actor James Woods, known for his role as Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars,” posted a video on social media Tuesday showing flames engulfing trees and bushes near his home as he prepared to evacuate.
-VideoHollywood stars also affected by fires in Los Angeles
What resources are deployed on site?
More than 1,400 firefighters are battling the flames and hundreds are on the way, California Governor Gavin Newsom said.
Events have also been canceled across the region due to the fires. The nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG), awards from the American actors’ union, considered a good indicator for the Oscars, were thus announced by press release and not during a ceremony, as initially planned.
The Universal Studios Hollywood theme park will also remain closed for the day on Wednesday.
What were the political reactions?
Traveling to California, Joe Biden is scheduled to visit a fire station in Santa Monica, west of Los Angeles, on Wednesday.
Close ally of President-elect Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk estimated Wednesday on his social network
Donald Trump, for his part, designated California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, one of his sworn enemies, on his Truth Social platform as “responsible” for this “real catastrophe”.
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