Witnesses said the flames from the wildfire in Los Angeles, USA were 9-12m high, accompanied by explosions. The scene was as fierce as a war zone.
Wildfires continued to rage in Los Angeles, killing at least five people and destroying hundreds of homes. More than 100,000 people have been ordered to evacuate.
In Los Angeles, California, five separate wildfires are burning, all of which are not even 1 percent contained, according to state officials. Two of the larger fires have formed a pincer movement, encircling the city.
Strong winds have hampered firefighting efforts and fanned the flames, which have been burning nonstop since January 7.
To the west, the Palisades Fire has burned 6,406 hectares and destroyed 1,000 structures in the mountainous area between Santa Monica and Malibu. The fire spread rapidly down Topanga Canyon until it reached the natural boundary of the Pacific Ocean on January 7. It is one of the deadliest wildfires in Los Angeles history.
To the east, in the San Gabriel foothills, the Eaton Fire has burned another 11,000 acres and killed at least five people, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. AccuWeather estimated initial damage and economic losses at more than $50 billion.
“We are facing a historic natural disaster. I don’t think there are words to describe the magnitude of this,” Kevin McGowan, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Emergency Management, said at a news conference.
Skylights over parts of Los Angeles were red with flames and thick smoke. Nearly 1 million homes and businesses in Los Angeles County were without power, according to PowerOutage.
“The wind was blowing hard, the fire was 9-12 meters high, with a ‘bang, bang, bang’ sound. It sounded like a war zone,” Kevin Williams, an evacuee due to the Eaton wildfire, shared at the evacuation center in Pasadena.
One of five people killed in the devastating Los Angeles fires died trying to protect her home from the flames, the victim’s sister said on January 8, sharing the heartbreaking moment she was forced to leave her younger brother behind.
Victim Victor Shaw is believed to have ignored orders from firefighters to evacuate as the fire raged in the Altadena area.
“I had to go outside because the flames were so big, flying everywhere like a firestorm. When I looked back, I saw the house was engulfed in flames, and I had to leave,” said Shari Shaw.
Al Tanner, a friend of Victor Shaw, later found his body in the driveway of the burned-out house. “It looked like he was trying to save the house that his parents had owned for almost 55 years,” Tanner said.
Fire crews have been battling a firestorm of high winds, low humidity and, most worryingly, insufficient water supplies to contain the blaze.
Los Angeles officials say the city’s water systems are working, but they were designed for urban environments, not wildfires.
“Fighting a fire with multiple hydrants drawing water from the system for hours at a time is not sustainable,” said Mark Pestrella, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.
Water shortages have hampered firefighting efforts, especially in Pacific Palisades, an upscale coastal community where a wildfire has burned nearly 15,000 acres.
Climate scientists say the Los Angeles area is particularly vulnerable to fire as the fall monsoon season approaches, following back-to-back wet winters that have created large amounts of grass and vegetation that can be turned into fuel for fires during the hot summer months.
Before the fires broke out, the National Weather Service issued its highest warning for extremely dangerous wildfire conditions across Los Angeles County from Jan. 7-9. Low humidity and dry vegetation due to lack of rain are bad conditions for wildfires.
