Firefighters in Los Angeles have so far been gaining ground in stemming the advance of deadly wildfires after fierce winds weakened. Still, the largest of these, Palisades and Eaton among them, rage unabated and devour everything in their path.
Improvement in Challenging Circumstances, Thanks to Firefighters in Los Angeles
Crews successfully extinguished a fire in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday night and lifted all evacuation orders for the area before Thursday morning. This was an important victory: Flanking the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Studio City could have easily been consumed. LA Mayor Karen Bass credited water drops from aircraft for helping firefighters quickly gain control. But it was the high winds earlier in the week that grounded those efforts, fueling the fire that did widespread destruction.
Despite these challenges, LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger sounded cautiously optimistic. “While significant threats remain, I am hopeful the tide is turning,” she said at a Thursday news conference.
Fires Leave Path of Destruction
The Palisades Fire remains the most devastating in Los Angeles history, tearing through thousands of structures and resulting in five reported deaths. Describing it, LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said it would go down in history as among the worst natural disasters anywhere. Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire near Pasadena took a significant beating, leaving neighborhoods completely in ruins with the city’s water and power supplies overwhelmed.
Erratic winds on Wednesday, with gusts reaching 80 mph, spread embers for miles, igniting homes and businesses across densely populated areas. Entire blocks in Pacific Palisades, known for its celebrity residents, were reduced to ashes. Among the stars who lost homes were Mandy Moore, Paris Hilton, and Billy Crystal.
Communities in Crisis
About 180,000 residents are being kept under evacuation orders as thousands of firefighters scramble to contain flames across 45 square miles. In Altadena, one person, Jose Velasquez saved his home while spraying it with water as embers rained him down. So many of the neighbors were unlucky. Satellite images confirm that neighborhoods got reduced to rubble where only a handful of homes stayed intact.
Extending Fire Season Raises Alarms
Due to global warming, the fire season in California now occurs nearly year-round. The scorching temperature, prolonged drought, and Santa Ana winds make the wildfire a deadly disaster, which spreads within hours. Scientists believe that further delay in rain showers will extend this season of wildfires further.
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