5 people were killed…and Biden cancels his trip to Italy

At least five people were killed in forest fires that broke out on the outskirts of the American city of Los Angeles, authorities announced yesterday, Wednesday.

The toll is still likely to rise as rescue operations continue in the affected areas, as the fire has not yet been brought under control.

The fires, which intensified due to strong winds, destroyed more than a thousand buildings around the city, forcing tens of thousands of residents to leave their homes to escape the flames.

Los Angeles County Police Chief Robert Luna said in a statement to KNX radio: “We previously announced the death of two people, but unfortunately the number rose to five as rescue teams advanced in the affected areas.”

He added: “The situation is still very volatile, and the fire is completely out of control.”

Orders to evacuate downtown Hollywood

Efforts to control the fires are facing difficulty due to strong, dry winds, which have caused the fires to expand since they broke out on Tuesday.

Fire Chief Christine Crowley explained, during a press conference, that a new fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills area of ​​Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, prompting the authorities to carry out additional evacuations, bringing the number of fires in the county to six.

The American authorities ordered residents of the center of the historic Hollywood district to evacuate their homes after a new fire broke out just hundreds of meters from the famous Hollywood Boulevard.

“Immediate threat to life… This is a legal order to leave now… The area is legally off-limits to the public,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said, accompanying this order with a map showing sections of the famous movie district.

power failure

Reports stated that power was cut off to nearly a million homes and businesses in the province, while it was decided to keep schools closed, at least until Thursday.

The crisis worsened after four smaller fires broke out in addition to two large fires, which led to the depletion of resources allocated to fighting the fires.

Firefighting teams are working around the clock to control the fires amid difficult weather conditions, while the authorities called on residents in the threatened areas to immediately comply with evacuation orders to ensure their safety.

Biden cancels his trip to Italy

US President Joe Biden canceled a trip he was scheduled to take to Italy from January 9 to 12, with the aim of focusing on efforts to combat the massive fires raging around Los Angeles.

US presidential spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden, who headed to Los Angeles on Wednesday, “decided to cancel his upcoming trip to Italy in order to focus on managing all aspects of the federal response in the coming days.”