Strong winds caused wildfires across Los Angeles. climate news
California firefighters have battled a wind-driven wildfire in the Los Angeles area that has destroyed homes and blocked roads while thousands of people have fled, straining resources as authorities The situation is being prepared to get worse.
A fire that broke out Tuesday evening in the foothills northeast of Los Angeles spread so quickly that workers at a senior living center had to move dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds to a car park down the street.
Residents waited in their beds wearing embers until ambulances, buses and even construction vans arrived to take them to safety.
The fire that broke out hours earlier had devastated the city’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood, a hilly area along the coast that is filled with celebrity residences and was the site of the Beach Boys’ hit “Surfin’ USA” in the 1960s. Was built in memory of.
In the rush to get to safety, roads became impassable, as large numbers of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some carrying suitcases.
Due to traffic jam, emergency vehicles were prevented from passing. A bulldozer was then brought in to move the abandoned cars to the side and make way. Video from the Pacific Coast Highway showed widespread destruction of homes and businesses along the popular roadway.
The third wildfire began around 10:30 p.m. (06:30 GMT, Wednesday) and forced immediate evacuations in Sylmar, the northernmost neighborhood of Los Angeles. The causes of all three fires are being investigated.
The flames were being fanned by winds of up to 60 mph (about 100 km/h) in some places. Wind speeds were forecast to increase overnight, producing isolated gusts of up to 100 mph (160 km/h) in the mountains and foothills – including areas that have not received substantial rainfall in months. Is.
The situation prompted the Los Angeles Fire Department to take the rare step of requesting the help of off-duty firefighters. The wind was too strong for firefighting planes to fly, further hampering the fight.
Officials did not provide estimates of the number of structures damaged or destroyed in the Pacific Palisades wildfire, but they said about 30,000 residents were ordered to evacuate and more than 13,000 structures were in danger. Governor Gavin Newsom visited the scene and said several homes were burned.
By evening, the flames had spread to neighboring Malibu and several people there were being treated for burns. One firefighter suffered a serious head injury and was taken to the hospital, according to Captain Eric Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
As of Tuesday evening, about 167,000 people were without power in Los Angeles County, according to the tracking website PowerOutage.us.
Recent dry winds, including the infamous Santa Anas, have contributed to above-average temperatures in Southern California, where little rain has fallen this season. No more than 0.1 inches (2.5 mm) of rain has fallen in Southern California since early May.
