close
close

Fire around Los Angeles: New fire in the west, death toll unclear – News

Posted on by Peyom
Fire around Los Angeles: New fire in the west, death toll unclear – News

Meanwhile, the fight against the flames continues and the evacuees are receiving clothes and food.

What happened?
At least eleven deaths, around 12,000 destroyed or damaged buildings and billions in property damage: five forest fires continue to rage in the Los Angeles County metropolis. Mandatory evacuation orders apply to 180,000 people, and warnings apply to 200,000 if they cannot leave their homes. “The death toll could continue to rise,” Sheriff Robert Luna said at a media conference. It looks in the affected areas as if an “atomic bomb” had been dropped there.

  • As described.

    Legend:

    A woman stands with a child next to a mountain of water bottles. These are donations that are being kept for the people affected by the “Eaton Fire”. (Donation collection point at Santa Anita Racecourse in Arcadia, January 10, 2025)

    REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

  • People stand at tables and look at piles of clothes.

    Legend:

    Clothes are donated for those who have lost their belongings.

    REUTERS/Lisa Richwine

  • Tents in front of the stadium.

    Legend:

    Tents are available for first responders in front of the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena.

    REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

  • Person with mask.

    Legend:

    People protect themselves with masks – the authorities declare a health emergency.

    REUTERS/David Ryder

  • Satellite image of coastline with clouds.

    Legend:

    A satellite image provided by NASA shows smoke from the wildfires and clouds over Los Angeles (January 9, 2025).

    NASA WORLDVIEW HANDOUT

  • Remains and parts of walls of houses after the fire.

    Legend:

    Destroyed houses after the Pacific Palisades fire in Los Angeles. (10.1.2025)

    REUTERS/David Ryder

  • A burned home and car, the fire still smolders in the building and the garage next door.

    Legend:

    A burned property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (8.1.2025)

    IMAGO Images / Jonathan Alcorn

  • It looks like a war: Everything is destroyed, the houses, the trees... There is smoke in the air, no one in sight

    Legend:

    “Like Armageddon,” says one Los Angeles resident as the damage begins to clear. (Drone shot from Altadena)

    IMAGO Images / Scott Mc Kiernan

  • Night city view with forest fire on a hill.

    Legend:

    Another forest fire has broken out in the famous Hollywood Hills. (8.1.2025)

    Keystone / AP Photo, Ethan Swope

  • Cars destroyed by the fire are on the road.

    Legend:

    In Altadena in Eaton Canyon in Los Angeles, entire streets have been devastated. (8.1.2025)

    IMAGO images / JIM RUYMEN

  • Firefighter and helicopter extinguishing forest fires.

    Legend:

    Many firefighters are on duty trying to put out the flames. (January 7, 2025)

    Reuters/EPA, CAROLINE BREHMAN

  • House burns in flames with US flag waving.

    Legend:

    According to authorities, almost 21,000 buildings in California are threatened by the flames. (January 7, 2025)

    REUTERS/Ringo Chiu

  • Forest fire at night with flames and sparks.

    Legend:

    Apocalyptic scenes appear in western Los Angeles. (January 7, 2025)

    Keystone / AP Photo, Ethan Swope

  • Forest fire at night with traffic signals in the foreground.

    Legend:

    Fierce forest fires are raging again in California. (January 7, 2025)

    REUTERS/Daniel Cole TPX

  • People flying from forest fires, smoke in the background.

    Legend:

    Tens of thousands of people have fled from the rapidly spreading flames. (January 7, 2025)

    Keystone/AP Photo/Etienne Laurent

  • Burning building with collapsed roof.

    Legend:

    Almost twelve square kilometers of land and numerous houses were destroyed. (January 7, 2025)

    Keystone/AP Photo/Ethan Swope

  • Night view of forest fire behind road intersection.

    Legend:

    The affluent Pacific Palisades district in the west of Los Angeles is particularly affected by the fires (January 7, 2025)

    Keystone / AP Photo, Ethan Swope

What is the situation currently?
Due to the fires that have been going on in and around Los Angeles for days, the district declared a public health emergency on Friday evening (local time). The enormous amounts of harmful smoke and fine dust in the air have led to a significant deterioration in air quality, the district said in a statement.

The US disaster protection agency FEMA warns that despite decreasing winds, the danger has not yet been averted. A further increase is expected in the coming days. There are currently 92 active wildfires across California, according to Cal Fire. According to the authorities, more than 7,500 firefighters have been mobilized to fight the flames. They are supported by firefighting aircraft. 2,300 emergency services alone are fighting the “Palisades Fire,” reported CNN.

The Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills has been contained, according to Cal Fire. However, a new fire broke out in the area between Los Angeles and Ventura. The “Kenneth Fire” is moving quickly toward homes in the hilly region.

What are the problems?
In southern California near Los Angeles, it has hardly rained at all for at least eight months. Trees and bushes have dried up. Added to this are the strong Santa Ana winds typical of the winter season, whose flames spread quickly.

“Devil’s Breath” – the Santa Ana winds


Open the box
Close the box

The wildfires on the US West Coast are repeatedly fueled by strong winds. The famous and infamous Santa Ana winds, also known as “Devil’s Breath,” are responsible. The wind is named after Santa Ana Canyon in Orange County, southern California. The Foehn winds flow from the high plateau between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada towards the Pacific and warm up as they cross the Mojave Desert and reach the coast as extremely dry and hot winds. When the “Santa Anas” blow, temperatures in Los Angeles can rise to 30 degrees, even in winter.

The fire department does not have enough water to extinguish the fire, according to the water and electricity supplier LADWP. In addition, the head of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Kristin Crowley, makes major accusations against the city administration. The $17 million budget cut for the fire department is now having a negative impact.

Looting in Los Angeles County


Open the box
Close the box

In some fire areas in the greater Los Angeles area, the authorities have imposed a curfew in the evening and at night in order to take more effective action against looters. The curfews apply to two areas affected by the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire, where residents had to leave their homes following orders from authorities. Anyone who was in the affected areas was arrested.

The curfew applies from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

According to the electricity supplier, around 300,000 customers in the affected areas are still without power. Life is still at a standstill in many places and schools remain closed.

(Harry and Meghan) didn’t come here for attention. They came to work.

How is help provided?
Help for the evacuees is starting on site: pictures show how clothes and food are being distributed. According to the media, Prince Harry and his wife, Duchess Meghan, were also among those helping. In footage from the US broadcaster Fox 11, the two were seen at a conference site in Pasadena near Los Angeles. There they talked to people who had to flee their homes from the flames, as well as to helpers. The mayor of Pasadena, Victor Gordo, praised the efforts of the two in an interview with the station. “You didn’t come here to get attention. “They came to work,” Gordo said. US President Joe Biden declared a state of disaster in California on Tuesday and declared on Thursday that the federal government would fully reimburse the costs of clean-up work, emergency accommodation and wages for first responders over the next six months.

Expected damages in the billions


Open the box
Close the box

Experts estimate the damage from the Los Angeles wildfires to be worth billions of dollars. The flames could cause $8 billion in damage in the Californian metropolis, said analysts at Morningstar DBRS.

The US bank JP Morgan gave the largest damage estimate at $20 billion, as “The Insurer” reported. The damage is so high because many high-priced properties and companies are affected.

Many houses are not insured. One reason is that it is difficult for homeowners to take out insurance in high-risk areas.