Los Angeles in flames: 10 persons dead, 180,000 under evacuation…here’s what you should to know
Photo Credit: ABC
Los Angeles, the beautiful city of light, has now become the city of flames as its shiny street has been transformed into a fiery inferno of Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace.
The city witnessed relentless wildfires that have torn through neighbourhoods, hillsides, and even urban peripheries since Tuesday, 7th January, 2025.
READ ALSO: Lawyer, Firefighters… 10 most stressful jobs in US
Household of David Church burnt: How to prevent fire outbreak
Moses Bliss and Maria welcomes new baby…here’s something you should know
Earlier before now, Los Angeles was a city of attraction known for its sun-soaked beaches and iconic Hollywood sign, with lots of celebrities inhabiting its serene environment.
Currently, it finds itself in garments of smoke, with flames illuminating the night sky in an ominous glow.
Many people have lost their homes, properties, and businesses. Reports have it that many people have been rendered homeless, two museums razed down, and about 20 persons have been arrested for looting properties from exposed houses.
The cause of the fire
Although there have been speculations going around, some experts have pointed at climate change as a major driver of the intensifying wildfires. Also included are rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and erratic weather patterns that have created a perfect storm that made California’s fire season longer and deadlier each year.
Meanwhile, the wildfires have been classified into four major types: the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Kenneth Fire, Hurst Fire, and Lidia Fire, of which the Palisades Fire is counted to be the worst experience of wildfire that has ever happened to California.
Fox News gathered that the wildfires have burnt more than 27,000 acres in the Los Angeles area. Their report also gathered that as of Friday morning, over 10,000 buildings have been gutted down by the wildfires and over 10 persons killed.
PBS NewsHour reports that 5 people and even more have been killed and 180,000 are under evacuation orders. The fires that started on Tuesday are now among the most destructive in California state history, and thousands of buildings and structures have been destroyed already.
Also, the mayor of the city, Karen Bass (D), said the fire hydrants have run dry because the magnitude of the flames is way bigger than what the fire hydrants can quench.
Complaints and Criticism
Gov. Gavin Newsom has received a lot of criticism against his style of leadership since the fire outbreak. Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has criticised the cut to the fire department’s budget, saying it wasn’t enough to equip the fire units to discharge their duties effectively.
Many people also criticised the city leaders for cutting off the power supply, which stopped water needed for the fire hydrants to work well in combating the situation.
However, the United States President, Joe Biden, defended the governor of California and blamed everything on climate change.
He went further to say that the power lines were cut off to prevent the wildfires from spreading more in the city. Kamala Harris, the vice president of America, also blamed the disaster on climate change.
But citizens are enraged and have poured their vituperations against the government because many of them have lost a lot of properties and items of high monetary value.
