Wildfires kill two people and evacuate thousands of homes in Los Angeles

Two people were killed and others were seriously injured as a result of forest fires on the outskirts of the city of Los Angeles in the western United States, while firefighters continue to fight the flames, according to what the American authorities announced.

Several wildfires destroyed more than 1,000 buildings in the second largest city in the United States, and forced tens of thousands to evacuate their homes.

Strong winds caused the fire to spread from one house to another in the upscale Pacific Palisades area.

5,000 acres burned

“More than 5,000 acres (about 2,000 hectares) have burned, and the fire is still expanding,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.

He added: “We do not have a containment percentage. There are about 1,000 destroyed buildings and a large number of severe injuries among residents who did not evacuate their homes.”

A second major fire broke out around Altadena, north of the city, and footage showed flames consuming entire streets.
Maroney continued: There are more than 500 personnel assigned, and unfortunately, two civilian deaths have been reported, the cause of which is currently unknown. There are a number of serious injuries.”

30 thousand people evacuated

Evacuation orders were issued for about 30,000 people, according to authorities, who warned that strong winds could continue until Thursday, and that their speed could reach 95 kilometers per hour.

Mayor Karen Bass warned Wednesday in a post on the X platform that “the wind storm is expected to get worse during the day.”

Many residents evacuated their homes in panic, taking with them only a few belongings and pets.

Many others found themselves stuck in heavy traffic, including Kelsey Trainor, who said: “There is nowhere to go. People are abandoning their cars and fleeing on foot.”

She added: “Everyone was honking their car horns, and fire was surrounding us from all sides, from the right and the left. It was terrifying.”

Extremely dry winter

The wildfires come at the worst time for Los Angeles, with the weather agency forecasting hot winds, a common winter phenomenon in California, to gust up to 160 kilometers per hour on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“We expect this to be the strongest phase of hot winds in the region since 2011,” said Daniel Swain, a specialist in extreme weather phenomena. But he stressed that the risk of fires is “much greater” now than it was at that time.

After two years in which Southern California saw abundant rains that revived its vegetation, this region is experiencing its driest winter yet, turning vegetation into fuel for fires.