At least ten people were killed in fires around Los Angeles, the county medical examiner announced Thursday, January 9.
“The Department of Medical Examiner has been notified of ten fire-related deaths,” it is indicated in a press release. “All cases are currently awaiting identification and notification to next of kin,” adds the text.
The fire continues to ravage Los Angeles, enveloped in thick acrid smoke: the two main fires remain out of control Thursday evening in the Californian megalopolis, where military reinforcements are deployed.
To the west of the second largest city in the United States, the outbreak which devours the upscale district of Pacific Palisades, with the villas of multimillionaires and celebrities, located between Malibu and Santa Monica, was still not limited to the afternoon. And this, despite the reinforcement of helicopters dropping water thanks to a temporary lull in the violent winds which fanned the flames.
No more than the one that set Altadena ablaze, even if its spread was “considerably stopped” during the previous night, firefighters said.
“These are the largest, most devastating fires in California history,” declared US President Joe Biden, who is living his last days in power, during a meeting organized at the White House with officials involved in the management of these violent fires.
Some 500 military reinforcements have been announced to fight the fires and should be on site in the evening, local authorities said Thursday.
“We are doing everything we can, including military reinforcements, to protect communities in the days to come”said California Governor Gavin Newsom.
These soldiers must occupy checkpoints and help regulate traffic, and are part of a deployment of thousands of state personnel to fight fires, he said.
Amid the chaos in the partly deserted city, looting has already led to the arrest of twenty people, according to the police, who described them as “totally unacceptable”.
In Altadena, a stricken town, residents have decided to set up patrols to protect what remains of their neighborhood. A curfew was declared in evacuated areas of the coastal city of Santa Monica.
New home
“Altadena is devastated,” noted Californian parliamentarian Judy Chu on a local channel, during a visit to a center where a thousand evacuated residents found refuge. “They are distraught. »
Some 180,000 people across the Californian city are still affected by an evacuation order and the weather conditions, ultra-dry and windy, remain « critiques »although less severe, insist forecasters and local authorities.
-Thursday afternoon, another outbreak broke out near Calabasas and the wealthy Hidden Hills neighborhood, where star Kim Kardashian lives.
The gusts which blew up to 160 km/h in recent days, dragging embers for kilometers, have calmed down. But the wind has not disappeared and the hills remain ultra-dry: conditions remain « critiques »according to authorities.
The Santa Ana winds currently blowing are a classic of California’s autumns and winters. But this time they reached an intensity not seen since 2011, according to meteorologists. “The winds retain their historic character. This is absolutely unprecedented,” alerts Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
A nightmare for firefighters: California is coming out of two very rainy years which gave rise to lush vegetation, now dried out by an abnormally dry winter.
Hollywood disrupted
The legendary Hollywood district, threatened for a time by the flames, can breathe: the fire in its hills was brought under control by firefighters, according to local authorities, and the evacuation order lifted Thursday morning.
Several film and series filmings were stopped, and the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park was closed. The Oscar nominations have been pushed back two days, to January 19.
“More than 7,500” firefighters, some from other American states, are leading the fight against these fires.
President-elect Donald Trump spread false information on his Truth Social network, claiming that California was running out of water because of Democratic environmental policies that would divert rainwater to protect a “useless fish”. In reality, most of the water used by Los Angeles comes from the Colorado River, and is primarily used by the agricultural industry.
The “climate change is a reality”reaffirmed Joe Biden, who will cede power on January 20 to Donald Trump, a notorious climate skeptic.
The weather alert will last until Friday, and a “significant development of fires remains probable”, according to the weather services. Californians are being urged by authorities to save water, as some reservoirs supplying fire hydrants have been emptied by the fight against flames.
Scientists regularly point out that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.
Related News :