Large-scale wildfire breaks out near Los Angeles: thousands of people flee their homes
Kyiv • UNN
An uncontrolled wildfire has spread to at least 8,290 hectares near Los Angeles, destroying 132 homes. Due to strong winds, 400 homes were evacuated and the fire is only 5% contained.
Thousands of people were forced to flee an uncontrolled wildfire that raged around communities near Los Angeles in the United States on Thursday, and dozens of homes have already been destroyed by the rapidly spreading flames, UNN reports with reference to AFP.
Details
Strong seasonal winds have spread the fire up to five kilometers from the center of the fire around Camarillo, and new fires have appeared on hillsides, farmland and in residential areas.
The mountain fire has grown rapidly since it started on Wednesday and by the next day had covered 8,290 hectares, with flames rising unpredictably and forcing residents to flee.
By Thursday evening, the fire was only five percent contained, authorities said, although winds were expected to help firefighters throughout the night.
Authorities said, based on initial inspections, that at least 132 homes were completely destroyed and another 88 were damaged by fires.
Ventura County Fire Department officials said they are devoting resources to extinguishing the fire in an area of 30 ,000 people, but a change in wind patterns means there is hope that the fire could die down in the coming days.
"The winds are dying down at lower altitudes, but they're still gusty at higher altitudes," said Ariel Cohen of the National Weather Service.
"By 11:00 a.m. (Friday local time), winds will have further subsided across the region and we do not expect any warnings to be in effect in the area," he said.
On Thursday, California Governor Gavin Newsom visited communities affected by the fire and declared a state of emergency in the hardest-hit area of Ventura County.
At least 400 homes have been evacuated, said Ventura County Sheriff Jim Freyhoff, adding that 250 residents have decided to stay.
"I urge everyone to stay away from the affected areas. The fire is still very dangerous," he said.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but meteorologists have issued a red flag warning and a rare "particularly dangerous situation" (PDS) warning for the area, indicating dangerous conditions for a fire. They said two years of above-average rainfall had triggered abundant vegetation growth, which is now completely dry after a long, hot summer.
Electricity companies cut off power to tens of thousands of customers in the area, a common strategy in California during high winds in an attempt to reduce the risk of new fires due to downed power lines.
