A sixth fire broke out in iconic Hollywood Hill on Thursday morning, as Joe Biden ordered the deployment of additional firefighters. The visit of the head of the White House to Italy is canceled.
At least five people were killed in the fires that continue to grow in Los Angeles.
A sixth fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday in the Hollywood Hillsleading to evacuation orders for thousands of residents, which extended to parts of the neighboring city of Santa Monica.
Authorities say more than 1,000 structures – mostly homes – have been destroyed in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood and between 300 and 500 in Pasadena, while about 130,000 people remain under evacuation orders. .
At least seven schools were also damaged or destroyed.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said firefighters from different parts of California had arrived to help local units and air operations extinguish the flames.
She adds that they continued to face “erratic winds”although much calmer than those of Tuesday evening, which cause fires to spread more quickly.
Thousands of hectares gone up in smoke
The authorities estimate that the fire in Pacific Palisades – an upscale neighborhood where many celebrity residences are located – is already the most destructive in modern Los Angeles history.
Images of the devastation show collapsed luxury homes, soot-blackened swimming pools and charred luxury cars.
Many Hollywood stars, including Adam Brody, Leighton Meester and Paris Hilton – were forced to evacuate and lost their belongings in the fires.
A thick cloud of smoke and ash also filled the air in many areas of Los Angeles, prompting authorities to issue air quality advisories.
In the space of a day, the fires consumed a total area of approximately 11,000 hectares. Smoke and ash drifted well beyond Los Angeles County to communities to the east and south.
Residents are urged to stay indoors whenever possible, limit strenuous physical activities, follow updates and developments from authorities, and respond to calls for evacuation if necessary. they are launched.
Biden cancels Italy visit
The outgoing American president Joe Biden expressed support for those affected by the fires and asked the Department of Defense to deploy additional firefighters to Los Angeleswhich would support the 7,500 already on site.
The American president has also decided to cancel his planned visit to Italy.to focus in the coming days on managing the federal response” to the emergency situation.
The American president’s trip was scheduled to last four days.