At least 10 people are reported dead as multiple fires ravage several towns in the Los Angeles County area, in one of the worst wildfire outbreaks to hit Southern California.
At least 10 people have died as wildfires continue to ravage many cities in the Los Angeles County area.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna says the fires are among the worst he has ever seen. “It looks like an atomic bomb fell in these areas “.
Mr. Luna hesitantly acknowledged the death toll, saying: “MEven if I say it, it comes off my lips, I’m nervous about that number.”. The Los Angeles Sheriff has warned that this figure could increase in the near future.
Mr. Luna states that he “ don’t expect good news ” and that he believes the death toll will continue to rise, given the scale of the devastation.
The Palisades and Eaton fires are the largest of six fires currently ravaging the city. These two fires alone have burned nearly 13,000 hectares since they broke out Tuesday morning.
The two largest fires ravaging Los Angeles this week have burned more than 10,000 homes, buildings and other structures this week, according to authorities.
The fires led to the evacuation of some 150,000 people, while countless homes continued to be burned to the ground.
The fast-moving Kenneth Fire started late this afternoon in the San Fernando Valley near the West Hills neighborhood. Hours earlier, authorities had expressed confidence after firefighters, helped by calmer winds and crews from abroad, began to defeat the forest fires.
” We expect this fire to spread quickly due to high windss,” said Karen Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles, echoing forecasts that predicted stronger winds from Thursday evening to Friday morning.
All fires in Los Angeles County are located approximately 25 miles (40 km) north of downtown.
Dozens of entire city blocks in the celebrity-favorite Pacific Palisades neighborhood have been reduced to smoldering rubble, leaving only the outlines of homes and their chimneys visible. In Malibu, many beachfront homes, including the family home of Hollywood star Paris Hilton, were reduced to ashes in scenes described as apocalyptic by locals.
At least five churches, a synagogue, seven schools, two libraries, as well as numerous shops, bars, restaurants, banks and grocery stores were destroyed. The damage is considerable and analysts estimate that it will take months, if not years, for the city to return to its pre-fire level.
Firefighters were able to slow the spread of the Eaton and Palisades fires on Thursday. The Eaton fire, however, is still not contained, while the Palisades fire is only a small percentage.
The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage suffered, nor has it provided details on the number of structures burned.
AccuWeather, a private company that provides data on weather conditions and their impact, estimates the city’s damage and economic losses to be between $135 billion and $150 billion (€131 billion and €146 billion).
Fire officials say wildfires are out of their usual season, as they typically break out during the dry, hot summer months.
They say they don’t yet know the cause of the fires, but are actively investigating.
Additional sources • AP