Five people have died since the start of the fires affecting California, near Los Angeles. As gusty winds persist, authorities have ordered the evacuation of downtown Hollywood.
The latest report released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office shows 5 deaths following the fires ravaging California, near Los Angeles. More than 100,000 residents were forced to flee their homes, engulfed in flames in the region and 1,500 buildings were destroyed. Authorities even ordered residents of the Hollywood neighborhood to evacuate the area due to a new fire that broke out a few hundred meters from Hollywood Boulevard.
Winds up to 160 km/h, 2,000 hectares gone up in smoke
The situation is not expected to improve anytime soon, as “hurricane-force winds combined with extreme drought conditions” still threaten the area, Mayor Karen Bass said during a press briefing Wednesday evening. “We expect this to be the strongest wind episode since 2011,” Daniel Swain, a specialist in extreme events at UCLA University, already warned earlier Wednesday in the day. Gusts of 160 km/h were recorded. Also, it could be the “driest start to winter ever recorded”, conditions favorable to significant combustion after two rainy years which allowed the vegetation to reform densely, before the drama of this start of winter. year.
In total, “more than 2,000 hectares burned,” said Los Angeles County fire chief Anthony Marrone, with fires affecting several localities such as Palisades, Woodley and Hurst. He also specifies that “the fire is growing. For his part, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, has canceled his departure for Italy scheduled for this Thursday. This trip was to be his last abroad as president of the world’s leading power, the White House announced in a press release.
As a reminder, a first fire broke out Tuesday morning, in the hills of the upscale Pacific Palisades district, which is home to celebrities and numerous multi-million dollar villas. Since then, outbreaks have multiplied and often explode very quickly, within a few minutes. Celebrities like Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, James Woods of Once upon a time in America were evacuated from the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
Latest updates
09:32 – Contaminated drinking water?
New growing concern in the Los Angeles area. Indeed, the city of Pasadena has issued an alert on drinking water which could now be unfit for consumption after the passage of fires. City residents have been urged not to consume tap water and to use it only if it has first been filtered or brought to a boil to avoid possible contamination.
— City of Pasadena (@PasadenaGov)
09:21 – Latest human toll, 5 dead
The latest report from the American authorities shows five deaths since the start of the fires around the city of Los Angeles, in California (United States). Residents of the Hollywood neighborhood are urged to evacuate after a new fire broke out hundreds of meters from Hollywood Boulevard. “Immediate threat to life. This is a legal order to LEAVE NOW. The area is legally closed to public access,” say the city’s firefighters.
01/08/25 – 11:19 p.m. – Nearly 64 km² burned in Pacific Palisades
As CNN reported late Wednesday evening, the Pacific Palisades fire, on the coast of Los Angeles, has at this stage ravaged nearly 64 km², despite the slowdown in winds recorded. Still according to the American media, after reaching a peak in the morning, local time, the winds would have decreased significantly in the areas affected by the fire, even if firefighters would still have to deal with gusts. According to forecasts, the winds should only really calm down from Thursday, which should make the task of firefighters easier.
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