(CLO) A wildfire has spread to about 400 hectares in the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles overnight. Residents are warned that the situation could worsen as bad weather could cause the fire to flare up more fiercely.
Unspeakable damage
Cal Fire official Todd Hopkins told reporters at a news conference that although 11% of the Palisades Fire is now contained, it has burned more than 28,000 acres.
The Palisades Fire has spread to the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood, Hopkins said. It also threatens to spread to Brentwood, an upscale neighborhood where celebrities live and play.
Firefighters monitor the Palisades Fire as it spreads in Mandeville Canyon on January 11, 2025, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. (Photo courtesy of AP, not for re-release)
Meanwhile, evacuation orders across the Los Angeles area now apply to 153,000 residents, putting 57,000 structures at risk of destruction. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said another 166,000 residents have been warned they may need to evacuate.
Luna added that his agency has dispatched 40 search and rescue personnel to coordinate with other agencies, including using sniffer dogs to search for victims' bodies and trapped people.
"Los Angeles County experienced another night of unimaginable horror and pain," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath.
Six fires burning simultaneously across Los Angeles County since Tuesday have killed at least 11 people and damaged or destroyed 10,000 structures. At least 13 people are estimated to be missing so far. The death toll is expected to rise as firefighters search house by house.
Risk of spreading to new areas
Fierce winds that suddenly fanned the flames died down Friday night. The Palisades Fire is taking a new turn as winds blow in from the Pacific Ocean and threaten the densely populated foothills of the San Fernando Valley.
Smoke from the Palisades Fire rises over residential areas in Mandeville Canyon on Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo courtesy of AP, not for re-release)
The most destructive fire in Los Angeles history leveled entire neighborhoods, leaving behind only smoldering ruins of homes and people's possessions.
As of Saturday, the Palisades Fire was 11% contained and the Eaton Fire to the east was 15% contained, according to state agency Cal Fire. The two major fires combined have burned more than 35,000 acres.
Residents of the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood who returned to their devastated neighborhood on Friday were stunned to find their homes and expensive cars reduced to ashes, with acrid smoke filling the air. “Everything that was left was ash and rubble,” said McGeagh, 61, a commercial real estate broker.
Kevin Marshall searches for remaining property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 11, 2025. (Photo courtesy of AP, not for re-release)
Hundreds of people flocked to the parking lot near the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena on Friday morning to pick up donations of clothes, diapers and bottled water.
Denise Doss, 63, said she was eager to return to her destroyed home in Altadena to see if anything could be salvaged, but officials stopped her because of safety concerns.
Losses of up to 150 billion USD and concerns about compensation
Many Altadena residents said they feared government resources would be diverted to wealthier areas and that insurance companies could refuse to pay out to people who can't afford to file claims.
In addition to those left homeless, tens of thousands of others remain without power and millions suffer from poor air quality.
Los Angeles' Pacific Palisades neighborhood, a wealthy coastal neighborhood, burns to the ground on January 11, 2025. (Photo courtesy of AP, not for re-release)
Weather forecasting firm AccuWeather estimates economic damage and losses at $135 billion to $150 billion, signaling a difficult recovery and soaring home insurance costs.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara urged insurers on Friday to suspend non-renewals and cancel pending policies that homeowners had received before the fires started, while also extending payment deadlines.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden has declared the wildfires a major disaster and said the federal government will “reimburse 100% of recovery costs over the next six months”.
Law enforcement officials have warned residents to comply with the curfew amid arrests for theft, robbery and illegal possession of weapons. “If you go out and violate this curfew, you will go to jail,” Chief Luna warned.
Hoang Huy (according to Cal Fire, Reuters, CBS)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/chay-rung-los-angeles-tiep-tuc-lan-rong-dau-thuong-khong-the-tuong-tuong-noi-post330023.html
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