Massive fire in Los Angeles/Thousands evacuated and damage

2025-01-08 17:36:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The city of Los Angeles has declared a state of emergency as firefighters battle the flames that are burning several hundred acres of land in various parts of the city and surrounding areas. Fires have engulfed many residential areas in southern California forcing mass evacuations of residents. The fires have been spread by strong winds that in some cases reach speeds of 160 kilometers per hour. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency.

More than 30,000 residents have been evacuated from an upscale coastal area of ??Los Angeles since Tuesday, including Hollywood stars. Blocked roads have caused people to abandon their cars and leave on foot. The flames have burned many houses in the hills along the ocean.

"The city of Los Angeles is experiencing an extreme weather situation. "The humidity was very low, about 12% when the fire started and the wind was gusting at about 30 miles per hour," Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said.

The fires have destroyed an area of ??more than 1,000 hectares in the famous "Pacific Palisades" area, which is located between the coastal towns of Santa Monica and Malibu, officials announced.

"So far, the fires have destroyed an area of ??several thousand hectares. The fire is being spread by a combination of strong winds and the surrounding mountainous terrain, which is making efforts to extinguish the fire extremely difficult," Ms Crowley said.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency.

"The risk has not been eliminated. The weather service has announced worsening winds that are spreading the fires," said California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Officials say the situation will worsen as the flames sweep through the town of Altadena, burning buildings and everything else.

"The National Weather Service has predicted an increase in winds and that they will be stronger," said Anthony Marrone, Los Angeles County fire chief.

As of Tuesday evening, about 167,000 homes were reported to be without power in Los Angeles County. The Pacific Palisades fire destroyed an area of ??11.6 square kilometers. Southern California has seen about 0.25 inches of rain since May.

The situation created caused President Joe Biden to cancel plans for a visit to Riverside County to announce the placement of two new monuments in the state of California.

Emergency crews were forced to use a tractor to clear the road of cars abandoned by residents on a street in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

Weather forecasters say that strong winds will last several days, which in some cases reach speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour and have encouraged the spread of fires. The National Weather Service said the winds coming from the city of Santa Ana could be the strongest in a decade./VOA