- By Nidhi Giri
- Thu, 09 Jan 2025 12:08 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Los Angeles Wildfires: Seven out-of-control wildfires raged across Los Angeles on Wednesday, leaving at least five dead, destroying hundreds of homes and stretch firefighting resources and water supplies to the limit. Over 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate. Fierce winds hindered firefighting operations, fueling the fires since they began on Tuesday.
Los Angeles Wildfires Top Updates
-A new fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told a press conference, forcing more evacuations and raising to six the number of wildfires burning in Los Angeles County. All of them were 0% contained according to state officials, including a pair of conflagrations that held the city in a pincer move.
Fire engulfs a building in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, January 8. (Image: Reuters)
-A state of emergency has been declared in the area, with Washington sending help to bring the situation under control. Retired firefighters with experience in firefighting, have been called for help. According to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, his crews were overwhelmed by the scale and speed of the unfolding disasters.
Firefighters work to extinguish flames as the Eaton Fire burns in Pasadena, California, January 7. (Image: Reuters)
-Over 70,000 people were evacuated from Los Angeles and the Greater Los Angeles areas of California in the last 24 hours due to the wildfire that remain uncontained as the wind speed is very high in Palisades, Eaton and Hurst areas.
-President Joe Biden will no longer travel to Italy this week as scheduled, the White House announced late Wednesday, canceling the trip in the final days of his presidency to monitor raging wildfires across the Los Angeles area.
“After returning this evening from Los Angeles, where earlier today he had met with police, fire and emergency personnel fighting the historic fires raging in the area and approved a Major Disaster declaration for California, President Biden made the decision to cancel his upcoming trip to Italy to remain focused on directing the full federal response in the days ahead,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement
-As a pall of dark smoke hung over Los Angeles, hydrants were drying as the water supply dropped in the area. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power chief executive Janisse Quinones pleaded with people to save water after hydrants in Pacific Palisades ran dry.
Thick smoke hangs over the skyline of the downtown area after powerful winds fueling devastating wildfires forced tens of thousands to evacuate their homes in Los Angeles, California, January 8 (Image: Reuters)
-On the west side, the Palisades Fire consumed 15,832 acres (6,406 hectares) and 1,000 structures in the hills between Santa Monica and Malibu, racing down Topanga Canyon until reaching the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday.
-Aerial video by KTLA television showed block after block of smoldering homes in Pacific Palisades, the smoky grid occasionally punctuated by the orange blaze of another home still on fire.
-Economic Loss Surpasses USD 50 Billion: US private forecaster AccuWeather said on Wednesday that estimated damage and economic loss from the California wildfire, already one of the worst in history, is over USD 50 billion at a preliminary level.
“Should a large number of additional structures be burned in the coming days, it may become the worst wildfire in modern California history based on the number of structures burned and economic loss," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.
-Hundreds of homes were destroyed in the swanky Pacific Palisades area, a favourite spot for celebrities where multi million-dollar houses nestle on beautiful hillsides, while other infernos sprang up across the north of the city.
-Next week's unveiling of the Oscar nominations was pushed back until January 19, to give Academy members affected by fires more time to cast their ballots this week.