Los Angeles has woken up with the latest figures of five active fires that have already left 10 dead, 10,000 buildings destroyed, 180,000 people evacuated and around 150 billion dollars in damages.
In addition, a new danger has emerged: looting in an area full of luxurious mansions. The Police, according to AFP, have already would have arrested 20 people for attempted robbery in the Los Angeles region, where the fire broke out on Tuesday.
Authorities have ordered some 180,000 people to leave their neighborhoods and respect evacuation orders, as some stayed behind to try to save their property. A nighttime curfew has been announced and the National Guard has been deployed to patrol affected areas.
The largest fire, the Palisades fire, northwest of the country’s second most populous city, has already consumed 81 square kilometers among which is the exclusive neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, home to billionaires and celebrities.
“Out of control”
The second, 55 square kilometers, is the Eaton fire in Altadena, a suburb east of Los Angeles. According to the state agency Cal Fire, “They are both out of control.”
Three much smaller fires, the Kenneth (four square kilometers), the Hurst (three square kilometers) and that of Lydia (1.6 square kilometers), have been partially contained (35 percent, 37 percent and 75 percent respectively).
Compared to other fires that have affected California in recent years and have sometimes spread over several thousand square miles, the Current fires are smaller. However, they are especially deadly and destructive because they are located in residential areas.
If one of the fires killed six people, it would become unot among the 20 deadliest in California historyaccording to official data. At least 10,000 homes and other structures have already been engulfed in smoke, including at least 5,000 in the Palisades fire and between 4,000 and 5,000 in the Eaton fire, according to Los Angeles County fire officials. The two fires are already the most destructive in the county’s history.
With the destruction of luxury residences, fires could end up being the costliest in history. Private weather company AccuWeather has estimated the damage at between $135 billion and $150 billion, and that figure could rise.
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