At least five individuals were killed and over 2,000 houses, businesses, and other buildings were damaged or destroyed as several wildfires on the east and west sides of Los Angeles County erupted out of control, displacing thousands of residents and destroying entire neighbourhoods.
This is one of the most destructive firestorms ever to impact the area. The five dead were discovered in three buildings in Altadena, where occupants had little time to escape after the Eaton fire broke out Tuesday night.
The L.A. County Fire Department estimates that about 1,000 structures were burned in the Palisades fire, while another 1,000 were damaged or destroyed in the Eaton fire.
According to officials, firefighting forces were overextended as the fires spread across acre after acre. People in the city could only express amazement and anguish at how rapidly fires engulfed large areas of Los Angeles County because there is still much to learn.
During a press conference on Wednesday night, Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles stated: “This firestorm is ‘the big one’ in magnitude,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told at a news conference on Wednesday evening. “It is staggering.”
Here’s the latest on Los Angeles Fires
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, which was initially reported at 10:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, has spread to over 15,800 acres and is still uncontained.
Evacuation orders were also issued Tuesday night in response to the Eaton Fire, a second wildfire that started in the hills above Altadena, a town in northern Los Angeles County. Officials said the wildfire, which as of Wednesday afternoon has scorched at least 10,600 acres, has claimed five lives.
A third fire, the Hurst Fire, broke out late Tuesday night in the Sylmar neighbourhood of Los Angeles, rapidly consuming hundreds of acres and causing some evacuations, according to Cal Fire.
Early Wednesday morning saw the beginnings of the Woodley Fire. Later on Wednesday, the Lidia Fire began. Cal Fire reported that the fire was 30% suppressed as of Wednesday night.
A fresh round of mandatory evacuations was prompted by the Sunset Fire, which began Wednesday night in the Hollywood Hills.
Officials said the fires have caused “a number of significant injuries” and have threatened tens of thousands of structures. According to fire officials, the other fires were completely contained.
The powerful winds—which in some places reached 100 mph—and the dry conditions that accelerated the spread presented challenges for firefighters.
200,000 residents were left without electricity and more than 30,000 residents were evacuated, prompting a request for off-duty firefighters to assist. Because of the strong gusts, aerial firefighting was not feasible, and ground crews were overburdened.
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While President Biden abandoned his plans to visit Riverside County and instead approved federal relief, Governor Newsom issued a state of emergency.
Parts of Malibu were reduced to ashes as the fires burned through well-known neighbourhoods and over well-known thoroughfares like Sunset Boulevard.
As winds fuelled the fire, locals reported transformers exploding and embers soaring into the air.
With no rain in sight and red flag warnings still in effect, firefighters are fighting for time to preserve lives and property, and the relentless weather is expected to bring little relief.