Families hug each other and cry as they look at their burnt-out homes in the Altadena neighborhood of Los Angeles County, California.
Winds are expected to ease around Los Angeles on Friday, as massive efforts to extinguish five major fires wreaking havoc around the United States’ second-largest city intensify.
One of the worst disasters to ever hit California, inferno has ravaged neighborhoods, destroyed thousands of homes, killed at least 10 people and, by some estimates, left the bill at $150 billion. It is possible that it will be reached.
As the scale of the damage began to become clear, people grappled with the heart-wrenching devastation.
“I lost everything. My house burned down and I lost everything,” Hester Kalulu, who fled her home in Altadena and reached a shelter, told AFP.
Amid concerns of looting and crime, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has deployed the National Guard to step up law enforcement, with soldiers taking to the streets and Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna imposing a curfew in some areas. issued.
“This curfew will be strictly enforced and will be taken to strengthen public safety in areas where residents have evacuated, protect property and prevent robbery and looting,” he said.
Luna said those who violate the rules could be jailed, stressing: “We are not playing around in this matter.”
Five fires have burned more than 35,000 acres (14,000 hectares) so far, Cal Fire reports.
Million dollar homes once stood on Pacific Coast Highway outside Los Angeles. Today, it is a scar left by burned shells.
“Death and Destruction”
The largest fire has burned more than 20,000 acres in the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, and firefighters say they are beginning to bring it under control.
By Friday morning, 8 percent of the area was contained. This means that further expansion in that direction is impossible.
The Eaton Fire in the Altadena area was 3 percent contained, burned about 14,000 acres and threatened major infrastructure, including a communications tower on Mount Wilson.
On Thursday afternoon, a third fire broke out near Calabasas and the affluent Hidden Hills enclave, home to celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, adding to the sense of siege.
“You just feel surrounded,” one woman told a local broadcaster.
But after a massive response to the blaze, including planes dropping retardant and helicopters dumping large amounts of water, the blaze was now 35 percent contained, firefighters said Friday.
Map of Los Angeles, California, USA showing California Fire evacuation orders and warnings as of January 10, 2025, 01:37 GMT.
Some of those who were forced to flee their homes began returning to witness the devastation.
Karen Astall, a 36-year-old paralegal, said her mother’s home had escaped the random and chaotic destruction of Hell. However, this was not the case in many other homes.
“The view now is death and destruction,” she told AFP. “I don’t know if anyone will come back for a while.”
An AFP flight over Pacific Palisades and Malibu revealed miles of destruction.
“broken heart”
“This is crazy…the whole house is gone,” said helicopter pilot Albert Azouz.
In Malibu’s coveted waterfront property, many multi-million dollar mansions were completely destroyed as the bones of buildings showed the power of the fire.
Paris Hilton, a popular socialite and hotel heiress, was among those who lost their homes.
“I am heartbroken beyond words,” she wrote on Instagram.
Homes were destroyed in the Palisades Fire near the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
“No one should have to go through the experience of sitting with their family and watching the news and watching their Malibu house burn down on live television.
“This house is where we made so many precious memories.”
The fire could be the costliest in history, with AccuWeather estimating total damages and losses at $135 billion to $150 billion.
As well as the impending genocide, the lives of millions of people in the region were disrupted. Schools were closed, hundreds of thousands of people lost power, and major events were canceled or, in the case of the NFL playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings, canceled. , moved elsewhere.
National Weather Center meteorologist Mike Wofford told AFP that winds will ease on Friday and Saturday, providing a rare opportunity for firefighters.
“The wind is dropping a little bit now, but it’s going to drop further this afternoon, and tomorrow it won’t be very windy until later in the day,” he said.
“It’s certainly good news,” he said, but warned that conditions are still expected to remain dry and winds are expected to pick up again.
The Rancho Bar was one of many homes and businesses destroyed in the Eaton Fire in Altadena.
Wildfires occur naturally, but scientists say human-induced climate change is changing the weather and changing fire dynamics.
Two wet years have turned into a very dry year in Southern California, leaving plenty of fuel dry and ready to burn.
© 2025 AFP
Citation: Windstops offer hope during Los Angeles fires (January 10, 2025) Retrieved January 10, 2025 from https://phys.org/news/2025-01-lull-los-angeles.html
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