At least 11 victims have died Los Angeles fires. This is the “most devastating” toll in California’s history, as stated by US President Joe Biden. An area of over 12 thousand hectares burned, the equivalent of 22 football fields. The number of displaced people has risen to 180,000 and damage of more than 150 billion dollars is estimated.
Fires continue in Los Angeles
On the night between Friday 10th and Saturday 11th January a fifth fire it erupted on the border between Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
The fire, named Kenneththreatens the hill towns of Hidden Hills and Calabasas, not far from Malibu and, like the latter, home to luxurious villas.
Firefighter working on the Palisades fire
Meanwhile, fires remain active Lidia e Hurst fire in the San Fernando Valleyil Palisades on the ocean and theEaton ad Altadena.
The named fire was put out Sunsetactive in the Hollywood area. These are, says the California Department of Forestry, dei 5 most destructive fires in history of the State of California.
At least 11 dead
At least 11 people died due to the fires, but according to the mayor of Pasadena, Victor Gordothe number “is set to get worse.”
On Friday, 180 thousand people were evacuated, currently the displaced there would be around 153 thousand, with 166 thousand citizens ready to leave their homes if necessary.
According to estimates by the AccuWeather company, the damage caused by the disaster could cost the city an economic loss of between 135 and 150 billion dollars (equal to 131-146 billion euros).
The sheriff Robert Luna imposed a nighttime curfew in Los Angeles County to protect homes destroyed by looters. Twenty looters have already been arrested.
Because it is difficult to put out fires
For days we have been wondering about the causes of the disaster and the reasons that are making it impossible to quell the flames. It’s a mix of different factors.
There are climatic reasons, as explained by the author Stephen Markley a Republic: “California is having the least rainy winter in living memory, and the drought has helped dry out the forests, creating the perfect storm when a stronger-than-normal wind blew up from the Sant’Ana Mountains.”
We then talk about electrical faults as a possible trigger. The CEO of the company that monitors the electrical activity Whisker Labs, said to the Times that the number of breakdowns increased exponentially in the hours preceding the first fire.
Finally, what makes it difficult to quell the fires is the malfunctioning of the fire hydrantsmany of whom have been denied water due to fire budget cuts imposed by the local administration.
Photo source: ANSA
Source: notizie.virgilio.it
