“Hell on Earth” in Los Angeles: Apocalyptic images of the fiery blaze that “swallows” properties

“Hell on Earth” in Los Angeles: Apocalyptic images of the fiery blaze that “swallows” properties

The situation experienced by the residents of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas is described as a “fiery hell” with the devastating fires that have been raging since Tuesday (7/1) in the suburb of Pacific Palisades, near the Santa Monica Mountains, with a tragic death toll of at least two .

Due to the stormy winds that blow in the area at speeds of up to 160 km/h, the flames “swallow” huge areas and houses in their passage, while according to experts the worst is yet to come. Characteristic is the fact that every five minutes, areas corresponding to five football fields are burned, which makes it almost impossible to have a concrete estimate of the extent of the destruction.

At the same time, the Authorities are proceeding with mass evacuations of areas with the houses being given over to the flames, while the thick cloud of smoke has covered a large part of Los Angeles County. The testimonies of residents of the Pacific Palisades area are typical, with one of them declaring: “I saw smoke from afar and thought it wouldn’t reach the hill. Within five minutes, the fire was going down the slope.”

A worker at an equestrian center told a local channel: “The situation is terrible. We’re trying to get all the animals out,” while footage showed horses being hauled away on a trailer to be rescued.

See related post

Gail Liako said she rushed out of her house, with the day starting out as “a normal morning.” As he described, “Suddenly our garden furniture was covered in smoke… smoke filled the street. It was very surreal. You don’t know what to take with you in these moments of panic.”

There were not a few cases of people trapped inside their houses seeing the flames surrounding them, saving their lives literally at the last moment.

See related video

At the same time, despair in its turn took the place of terror in the hearts of those who saw the labors of a lifetime wasted in the insatiable mood of the destructive fire.

Mandatory evacuations – Biden visit cancelled

More than 50 thousand people have been forced to leave their homes in an urban setting that favors the possibility of trapping people, who rushed to use their cars to escape the worst. In fact, there were not a few cases of those who chose to leave the scene on foot to ensure their physical integrity.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said firefighters were “fighting aggressively” to contain the blaze. At the same time, the authorities constantly call on the residents to follow the evacuation instructions. The city of Malibu closed schools as a precaution, while the fire also affected a visit to the state by President Joe Biden, who was initially forced to cancel a flight on the presidential plane Air Force One, as he had planned to go to the Coachella Valley to declare two new national monuments, but the ceremony was moved to a future date at the White House.

See related post

“I have offered whatever federal assistance is necessary to put out the terrible fire in Pacific Palisades,” Biden said, while more than 21,000 households were left without power as authorities in California routinely shut off power. under strong winds to prevent new fire outbreaks.

For his part, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared the state a state of emergency, stating that personnel, fire engines and aircraft have been deployed elsewhere in Southern California due to the increased fire risk.

“We hope we’re wrong, but we expect more fires to occur at the same time,” Newsom said at a news conference.

Witnesses described houses on fire as flames came dangerously close to the cars of people fleeing their homes in the hills of Topanga Canyon. The flames spread to the Pacific Ocean.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Tracy Park said she “expects the fire to destroy hundreds of structures,” adding, “This will be a devastating loss for all of Los Angeles.”

Earlier, Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley noted, “We feel blessed that, so far, no injuries have been reported,” while saying that more than 25,000 people and 10,000 homes were in immediate danger.

“Ashes” the famous district

Not even the famous neighborhood in Los Angeles was spared from the ravenous flames, with dozens of famous actors seeing their luxury homes completely destroyed within minutes of the hour, unable to do anything other than watch the destruction from a distance. security.

Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag from the reality show ‘Hills’ are among those who have lost their homes to the flames. According to TMZ, the couple’s family was able to evacuate the residence safely, but are devastated by their loss. Meanwhile, actor Eugene Levy told the Los Angeles Times that he left his home as “black and intense” smoke “circled” the Temescal Valley.

In addition, Chet Hanks, son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, made a post on his personal account on Instagram, in which he mentions that the neighborhood he grew up in as a child burned to the ground, expressing his regret. “The neighborhood I grew up in is burning. I’m praying for Palisades,” he wrote in a story he posted.

See the related post

Typical is the case of Steve Guttenberg, star of the famous movie “Big Cop School”, mobilized to help those affected by the huge fire northwest of Los Angeles, which has spread to an area of ​​29,000 hectares and has led 30,000 people to forced evacuation discharge.

As residents were forced to evacuate the area for their own safety, the 66-year-old actor rushed to help while speaking to a reporter covering the issue. He was wearing a blue baseball cap and a mask to protect himself from the fumes, which made it difficult for the reporter to recognize him at first.

See the related video

A similar case is that of James Woods, who posted a video in which he watches his house go up in flames, while Ben Affleck’s residence also suffered the same fate.

See related video

The Santa Ana phenomenon

An important factor that led to the spread of fires in California is the Santa Ana winds, which are blowing particularly strong these days in the region.

Santa Ana winds are dry, warm, and gusty northeasterly winds that blow from the interior of Southern California toward the coast and beachesa, moving in the opposite direction of the normal overland flow that carries moist air from the Pacific to the region.

They are created by high pressure over the Great Basin – the vast desert interior of the West that covers several states. The sinking air loses its moisture and flows in a clockwise direction toward Southern California, where it must pass the towering mountain ranges that separate the desert from the metropolitan area lining the coast.

Like a slow-moving river that suddenly narrows and turns into rapids, the air speeds up as it squeezes through mountain passes and canyons, and becomes drier and warmer as it descends.

See related video

At the same time, the prolonged drought that the state of California is facing and not only due to the climate crisis has greatly contributed to the creation of this explosive cocktail of high winds and drought that is unfortunately the best…. kindling for fires of this type, approaching the “mega fire” designation.

In fact, shortly before the fire broke out, the National Weather Service forecast had issued the highest warning for extreme fire conditions, predicting winds with gusts of 80 to 130 km/h.



Source: www.enikos.gr