About 10 thousand houses have been burnt in the fire that has engulfed Los Angeles in the US state of California. The fire that has been raging for 4 days has spread over about 40 thousand acres. Out of this, 29 thousand acres of land has been completely burnt. About 10 thousand buildings have been destroyed due to the fire. Apart from this, about 30 thousand houses have been damaged. On Friday, the death toll from the fire rose to 10. This is the largest fire ever in and around Los Angeles.
The fire is still burning
Los Angeles County Sheriff (similar to district CEO) Robert Luna has compared the devastation caused by the fire to the devastation caused by a nuclear bomb explosion. Luna said that looking at the fire it seems as if a nuclear bomb has been dropped on these areas. The National Guard was called in to handle the fire situation.
About 50 thousand people have been asked to vacate their houses immediately. About 3 lakh people have been instructed to go to safer places. The administration has declared an emergency in the city and warned that it may spread by Saturday.
Vice President Kamala Harris’s home evacuated
Due to the fire, instructions have been given to evacuate Vice President Kamala Harris’s house in Brettonwood area of Los Angeles (LA). LA is the most populous county in America. More than 1 crore people live here. Efforts are being made to control the fire in California with the help of helicopters and planes. But due to strong winds and their changing direction, the fire is spreading in different places. About 7500 firefighters have been deployed to extinguish the fire.
Rescue teams are taking thousands of people to safer places. Schools, community centres and other safe places have been made emergency shelters. The situation is such that at many places fire hydrants, that is, fire extinguishers, are dry. Their water has run out.
fire in hollywood hills
According to BBC, the way the fire in California is spreading, there is a danger of burning down of the ‘Hollywood board’, the identity of the American film industry in the middle of Hollywood Hills. Actually, there is a place named Hollywood in LA, and the American film industry is named after it.
The fire has also burnt down bungalows of many Hollywood stars in the posh area of Palisades in LA city. The houses of many Hollywood stars including Paris Hilton, Steven Spielberg, Mandy Moore, Ashton Kutcher have been burnt to ashes. Paris Hilton’s house was built for Rs 72 crores. Many celebrities have also had to leave their homes.
Trump on California fires
President Joe Biden has canceled his visit to Italy due to the fire. He said in a social media post that we are ready to do anything to stop the fires in California and help rebuild. No matter how long it takes. We know we have to go a long way to do this. The federal government will be here as long as you need us.
Donald Trump has blamed President Joe Biden for the fire in California. Trump said in a social media post. In another post, Trump took a dig at California Governor Gavin Newsom. Trump said that till now Gavin Newsom and his Los Angeles team have brought the fire under control by 0 percent. This fire has spread over more area than last night. This is not how a government works. I cannot wait till January 20 (swearing-in day).
Strong winds are spreading the fire
The city of Los Angeles in California is situated amidst mountains. There are pine forests here. The fire started on Tuesday when dry pine trees burned. In the next few hours, the fire engulfed a large area of Los Angeles. The air of the city has become poisonous. The AQI here has crossed 350.
After the forest fire broke out, the ‘Santa Sana’ winds blowing at a speed of about 160 km per hour spread the fire rapidly. These winds, which usually blow during the autumn season, are very hot. This affects Southern California the most. According to reports, the speed of the winds is still very high, due to which the fire is spreading continuously.
There have been more than 78 fires in California
There has been drought conditions in California for many years. There is a lack of moisture in the area. Apart from this, this state is much hotter than other areas of America. This is the reason why forest fires often occur here during the summer season. This continues until the rainy season arrives. However, in the past few years, incidents of fire have increased in every season.
In the last 50 years, California’s forests have caught fire more than 78 times. Residential areas have grown near forests in California. In such a situation, damage is more when a fire breaks out. The fire that broke out in Griffith Park in Los Angeles in 1933 was the biggest fire in California. It engulfed an area of about 83 thousand acres. About 3 lakh people had to leave their homes and go to other cities.
