The disastrous Los Angeles inferno, which ignited on Tuesday, have already devoured thousands of acres and left hundreds of homes in ashes. It has also claimed five lives. With hurricane-force winds stoking the flames, over 100,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate.
The City Mayor, Karen Bass, who cut short an official trip to Ghana in light of the development, described the situation as “the big one” during a press conference.
The Hollywood Hills, famous for its iconic landmarks, is now under red alert as a new fire erupted on Wednesday evening, forcing even further evacuations. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley recently confirmed that Los Angeles County is battling at least six wildfires, with four of them completely uncontained.
The Sunset Fire in Hollywood Hills has scorched 50 acres, and now threatens the Dolby Theater and the Walk of Fame.
The L.A. Fire Department has issued evacuation orders for areas including Hollywood Boulevard and Mulholland Drive and the Oscars nominations announcement has been postponed due to the wildfires.
On the west side, the Palisades Fire ravaged 15,832 acres, destroying numerous structures and reaching the Pacific Ocean. Among the structure casualties is a home belonging to Hollywood stars Leighton Meester and Adam Brody. Aerial footage has revealed a haunting landscape of smoldering ruins in Pacific Palisades.
To the eastern region, the Eaton Fire has consumed 10,600 acres and claimed five lives. Looting has been reported, and so far, three arrests have been made. The economic toll from this development alone is brutal, with AccuWeather estimating damages exceeding $50 billion.
Despite a brief respite in winds, red flag conditions are expected to continue until Friday. Almost 300,000 homes and businesses are without electricity, and schools across Los Angeles County are still closed.
Firefighters from six states were deployed to joined the battle, but the scale of the disaster has stretched resources to the limit.
Despite their efforts, the dry, hurricane-force winds are making containment extremely challenging.
The Los Angeles Fire Department has issued multiple evacuation orders to ensure residents’ safety, and they are using both ground teams and helicopter crews to fight the fires. But, the sheer number of fires and the rapid spread have made it difficult to keep up.
The Cause of Fire
At this time, the exact causes of the wildfires in Los Angeles are still under investigation but, several factors have contributed to their rapid spread and intensity, including: the Santa Ana Winds (notorious for fanning flames and spreading wildfires quickly), dry weather conditions, and climate change.
