William Gonzales was “more fortunate” but his home was totally destroyed. “The flames have consumed all our dreams. We have lost practically everything”he whispers behind a black mask, in front of his house reduced to ashes in the town of Altadena, north of Los Angeles.
Another danger: looting
Another resident, Nicholas Norman, managed to save his house himself, using buckets of water against 3 meter high flames. But now, this resident of the Los Angeles suburbs is fighting another danger: looting.
In his neighborhood ravaged by flames, he encountered two men around three o’clock in the morning on the night of Wednesday to Thursday.
“They tested the doors and looked through the windows“Housings spared by the fire, says this resident of Altadena.”People are just stupid.“
This literature professor had been warned by a police officer friend that looters had been arrested a few hours earlier, a few streets away. Immediately, he took on the costume of neighborhood vigilante.
“I did the classic American thing: I went and got my rifle, sat outside and turned on a light so they knew there were people there.“, says this frail forty-year-old, hidden behind his mask.
A sad episode, which reminds him of the riots of 1992 in Los Angeles, after the death of the African-American Rodney King during an arrest. At the time, he was in primary school and had spent the night with his father outside their door, “while the streets were burning and people were shooting everywhere.“
After moving to Altadena eight years ago, this father could not imagine reliving such dark times.
“It sucks”
This town of 42,000 inhabitants has been martyred by the fires of recent days: the “Eaton Fire” left five dead in the area. And for the survivors who escaped the worst, the looting resonates as an insult to their dignity.
“There is theft, but it’s made even worse by cowardice“, grumbles Nicholas Norman.
At least 20 people have been arrested for thefts in the Los Angeles area since the first fires broke out Tuesday, according to police.
“I didn’t save this damn house for some idiot to come and steal from me. There’s no way“, growls Norman, who admits to not having that many valuables, and never locks his car.
This night, he will be on his porch again, and will make a few rounds to monitor the houses spared by the fire on his street. For the principle.
-One of his neighbors, Chris, spent the day barricading his house with wooden planks to prevent any intrusion.
“It’s quite sad“, sighs this architect, who does not wish to give his full name. “We’re setting up surveillance in the neighborhood, all because goons are preying on victims already subjected to all this madness.“
“It really sucks, I would rather spend my time helping my neighbors“, he blurted, pointing to the ruins on the other side of the street, where some gas inlets are still burning and pose a risk of resumption of fire.
“Despicable acts”
When he returned to his orange house Thursday morning, which he had just spent a year renovating, the padlock on his gate had been forced. No one managed to get back, but “this is clear evidence that someone was here in the middle of the night“, he sighs.
In the coming days, he also plans to take his share of the night rounds. With a weapon? “No comments“, he smiles.
Faced with opportunists, the authorities promise the greatest severity. “These acts are despicable, and we will prosecute them with the maximum punishment.“, assured Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
The county sheriff also promised that law enforcement will be uncompromising.
But for Chris and his neighbors, the goodwill of the police officers, whom he sees patrolling from time to time, is not enough. His simple return home, which forced him to sneak past security lines, is a reminder of the limits of uniformed officers. “If I managed to get past the roadblocks, professional thieves will have no trouble doing so too.“
Fire still untamed
“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.
In the city of entertainment, the fires are disrupting the cinema industry: several film and series shoots have been stopped, and the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park has been closed. The Oscar nominations have been pushed back two days, to January 19.
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.
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.
Scientists regularly point out that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.
