Less violent winds gave hope for an improvement in the situation. But the numerous fires that have been raging in Los Angeles for five days, causing at least eleven deaths, spread this Saturday, January 11 to areas that had until now been spared. Despite the massive mobilization of firefighters, the progression of the fire triggered evacuation orders on the eastern flank of the Pacific Palisades sector.
Entire sections of the second largest city in the United States are devastated: more than 12,000 buildings have been destroyed and more than 15,000 hectares have gone up in smoke. “It made me think of a war scene, with bombings”said President Joe Biden.
The largest fire, among five still active, has burned more than 8,000 hectares on the Malibu coast and the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, where firefighters said Friday they were beginning to control the flames.
But the winds which had begun to weaken on Friday regained strength this Saturday, according to forecasts from the Federal Natural Disaster Response Agency (FEMA), further pushing back hopes of controlling the disaster.
Faced with increasing looting in disaster-stricken or evacuated areas, a strict curfew, in force between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., was decreed on Friday by the authorities in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena sectors, the most ravaged.
Across the Californian megacity, depending on the orders received, evacuations number in the hundreds of thousands. Mandatory evacuation orders include upscale neighborhoods along the fire’s eastern flank, where the famous Getty Center is located. Built for a billion dollars, in part with fire-resistant travertine stones, the famous museum has 125,000 works of art.
On Thursday afternoon, a new fire broke out north of the main home in Pacific Palisades, near the wealthy Hidden Hills neighborhood, where star Kim Kardashian lives. It has since been largely brought under control. The situation “is still very dangerous”however, warned Deanne Criswell, of the federal natural disaster response agency (FEMA). Soldiers from the National Guard were notably deployed.
In addition to filming in Hollywood, the situation also affects sporting events. The NBA matches scheduled for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers this Saturday, January 11, have been postponed. The Lakers were to host the San Antonio Spurs, the team of Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, in California, after the postponement of a game on Thursday against the Hornets.
“Need answers”
Given the extent of the damage, California Governor Gavin Newsom asked Friday “a comprehensive independent review” city water distribution services. The Democratic official described it as “deeply disturbing” the lack of water supply and loss of pressure at hydrants in the early stages of the fires, which helped allow them to expand. “We need answers to find out what happened,” he wrote in an open letter.
Although it is too early to know the origin of the fires, criticism has emerged regarding the authorities’ preparation and response. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told Fox News affiliate KTTV that they were missing “always staff, resources and funds”. In addition, Californians are being urged by authorities to conserve water, as some reservoirs supplying fire hydrants have been emptied by fighting the flames.
Several evacuation alerts were also sent by mistake to residents’ phones Thursday and Friday in Los Angeles. Messages which led the authorities to apologize. The Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FAA) announced the opening of an investigation after a drone struck and damaged a tanker plane.
Fake news de Trump
These violent fires could be the costliest on record: AccuWeather estimates total damages and losses at between $135 billion and $150 billion. To help the population, the multinational show organization, Live Nation, announced on its website that a charity concert will take place on January 30 in Los Angeles, “with artist announcements and ticket information expected in the coming days.”
The company assures that “Proceeds from the concert will be donated to a charity created for the occasion, which will focus on rebuilding infrastructure, helping displaced families and developing fire prevention technologies and strategies to better prepare Los Angeles to emergency situations.
For his part, Donald Trump spread false information on his Truth Social network, claiming that California was running out of water because of Democratic environmental policies that would divert rainwater to protect a “useless fish”. President Joe Biden said “many demagogues” sought to profit from misinformation surrounding the disaster.
The hot, dry Santa Ana winds currently blowing are a classic of California’s autumns and winters. But this time they reached an intensity not seen since 2011, according to meteorologists.
A nightmare for firefighters: California is coming out of two very rainy years which gave rise to lush vegetation, now dried up by a glaring lack of rain for eight months. Scientists regularly point out that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.
Update : at 6:36 p.m., with the addition of the resumption of winds and the new damage figures.
Source: www.liberation.fr
