Two dead in violent fires in Los Angeles

Two people died and many others were injured in the fierce fires that raged Wednesday in Los Angeles and forced tens of thousands of residents to flee under the threat of hurricane-force winds.

Firefighters are battling four simultaneous fires in the Californian metropolitan area (western United States), notably in Pacific Palisades, an upscale neighborhood where Hollywood celebrities live.

This fire broke out late Tuesday morning and had already covered more than 2,000 hectares by Wednesday morning, destroying some 1,000 buildings in its path, according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.

In front of journalists, he gave an initial human assessment of the disasters: “Unfortunately, we deplore two civilian deaths, the cause of which is unknown at this stage, and many seriously injured people”.

At least one firefighter was also injured while fighting the flames, according to American media.

At dawn, a vast pane of smoke rose above Los Angeles, with the acrid smell of burning in the air.

City Mayor Karen Bass warned Wednesday on X that “the windstorm is expected to worsen throughout the morning”.

Warm Santa Ana winds, typical of the Californian winter, are expected to blow up to 100 mph in the region on Wednesday, according to the US Weather Service (NWS). Enough to spread the flames very quickly and place a “mortal danger”.

Firefighters must fight on several fronts: Tuesday evening, a second fire broke out near Pasadena, north of Los Angeles, and had ravaged around 900 hectares by Wednesday morning, according to the CalFire agency.

Two other fires were burning on Wednesday north of the megalopolis, around Santa Clarita and in the San Fernando Valley.

Traveling to California, Joe Biden is scheduled to visit a fire station in Santa Monica, west of Los Angeles, on Wednesday.

Close ally of President-elect Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk estimated Wednesday on his social network “These fires are easily preventable, but absurd regulations in California prevent action”.

Mr. Trump, for his part, named California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, one of his sworn enemies, on his Truth Social platform. ” responsible “ of this “real disaster”.

Canceled events

Los Angeles residents were urged to save water on Wednesday, as three reservoirs supplying fire hydrants have already been emptied.

Tens of thousands of people, including Hollywood celebrities, were also ordered to evacuate.

Actor James Woods posted a video on social media on Tuesday showing flames engulfing trees and bushes near his home as he prepared to evacuate.

“I couldn’t believe our lovely little house in the hills lasted so long. It’s like losing a loved one.”wrote Mr. Woods.

Known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the saga « Star Wars »Mark Hamill also announced on Instagram that he had to leave his house in Malibu, an upscale Californian city popular with stars, on Tuesday.

Events have also been canceled across the region due to the fires.

The nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG), awards from the American actors’ union, considered a good indicator for the Oscars, were thus announced by press release and not during a ceremony, as initially planned.

The Universal Studios Hollywood theme park will also remain closed for the day on Wednesday.

Large winter fires are very rare in California. The University of Louvain’s disaster database has only recorded two since 2000: the Thomas Fire in 2017 (1,102 km²) and the Gavilan Fire in 2002, much less extensive (23 km²) but which had caused evacuations and minor injuries.

Scientists regularly point out that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.