Allison Dinner / EPA
House destroyed by fire in Los Angeles
More than 12 thousand homes and other buildings were destroyed. There is a new problem in Palisades, with mandatory evacuation.
The foresters destroyed more than 12 thousand homes and other buildings in the city of Los Angeles, in the southwestern United States since Tuesday, authorities said.
Still, Los Angeles firefighters have made progress in controlling the six active fires that have so far caused 11 deathsa number that could increase.
The Fire Department of the state of California, where Los Angeles is located, reported Friday night that the Lidia fire is content by 98%, Hurst’s by 70% and Kenneth’s by 50%.
The fire of Kenneth was the last of the six to emerge, hatching on Thursday afternoon and already destroying around 4.3 square kilometers. Authorities have now confirmed that this fire was caused by arson.
The Eaton fire, which has consumed 56.5 square kilometers, is only 3% contained and the Pacific Palisades fire, which burned an area of 82 square kilometers, is about 8% contained.
The fire in Palisades, one of Los Angeles’ wealthiest neighborhoods, burned more than 5,300 homes and other buildings and is already the most destructive in the city’s history.
But, in the early hours of this Saturday, a new concern emerged: a new fire outbreak emerged in Palisades, which led to more mandatory evacuation orders, according to .
Reviews
On the streets, there is uncontrollable despair and sadness: “This was my home”, reports a resident, pointing to a scene of burnt ruins. “We moved here 26 years ago. We redid the floor, changed the windows and doors, painted… My grandchildren and my children loved the house. Now we are in a hotel, we have nowhere to go. We don’t know what we’re doing“, says the woman, between tears.
Some of those affected begin to blame the authorities and Mayor Karen Bass faces increasingly harsh criticism over the budget allocated to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley told Fox television on Friday that a court of 17 million dollars (16.6 million euros) in the corporation’s budget severely affected the firefighting capacity.
The person in charge highlighted that the lack of personnel and resourcessuch as the elimination of civilian positions, affected the operational capacity of firefighters, including repairing equipment.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has called for an independent investigation into the loss of water pressure and alleged lack of water supply from the Santa Ynez Reservoir.
On the second day of fires, there were reports of water tanks and hydrants that had run dry.
On Friday, it arrived help from other counties and neighboring states, such as Arizona, and also support from Canada. Mexico also committed to sending “74 technicians specialized in firefighting and civil protection.”
The company AccuWeather on Thursday raised the estimate of damage and economic losses from the fires to between 135 and 150 billion dollars (between 131 and 146 billion euros).
The houses of two Portuguese families Residents in the Los Angeles area burned to the ground as a result of the fires that have been devastating the region for several days, a source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Lusa on Friday.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna announced on Friday that the areas affected by the fires, and which have become targets of loot, are under curfew.
At least 18 people have been arrested for looting in the fire-ravaged areas, 15 of them in the area of the Eaton fire.
