Entire neighborhoods of the second largest city in the United States were devastated: More than 12,000 buildings have been destroyed and more than 15,000 hectares They have been engulfed in smoke. It looks like “a war scenario,” compared President Joe Biden.
The winds, which had begun to weaken on Friday, are expected to increase again starting this Saturday, according to forecasts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which dims hopes of controlling the disaster.
Pope Francis was “saddened” by the loss of life and damage caused by the fires, while expressing his “spiritual closeness” to those affected, in a telegram addressed to the archbishop of Los Angeles this Saturday.
Given the increase in looting in the affected or evacuated areas, the authorities declared on Friday a strict curfew, in force between 6 in the afternoon and 6 in the morning, in the areas of Pacific Palisades and Altadena, the most devastated. .
California Governor Gavin Newsom also ordered “a complete independent review” of the city’s water distribution services, noting as “deeply worrying” the lack of supply and loss of pressure in hydrants in the early stages. of the fires, which contributed to their spread.
The largest of the five fires that are still active has burned about 8,000 hectares on the coast of Malibu and in the neighborhood of Pacific Palisadesand was 8% contained as of Saturday morning, according to emergency services.
Award-winning actor Mel Gibson told NewsNation that his Malibu home burned down and the loss was “devastating.”
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, who cut ties with the British monarchy in 2020 and live in California, came to comfort the victims in the Pasadena neighborhood.
Nicole Perri, whose home was destroyed by flames in Pacific Palisades, told Afp that the authorities had “completely let them down.”
The situation “remains very dangerous,” warned Deanne Criswell of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Emergency management officials apologized Friday for false evacuation alerts to millions of mobile phones, triggering panic.
But throughout the Californian megacity, evacuations number in the hundreds of thousands. The orders also apply to upscale neighborhoods along the eastern flank of the fire, where the iconic Getty Center is located. Built at a cost of $1 billion, partly from fire-resistant travertine stone, the famous museum houses 125,000 works of art.
Soldiers were also deployed and dozens of people were detained.
Although it is too early to know the origin of the fires, criticism has arisen about the preparation and response of the authorities.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told Fox News affiliate KTTV that they are still “short of staff, resources and funding.”
Authorities are urging Californians to conserve water, as some reservoirs that supply fire hydrants have been depleted due to fighting the fires.
These wildfires could be the costliest ever recorded: AccuWeather estimates total damage and losses range from 135,000 and 150,000 million dollars.
The warm, dry Santa Ana winds blowing today are a classic feature of California autumns and winters. But this time they reached an intensity not seen since 2011, according to meteorologists.
California is emerging from two very rainy years that gave rise to lush vegetation, now parched by a lack of rain for eight months. Scientists regularly note that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.
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