A brief, but intense wildfire began spreading through parts of the Los Angeles hillsides on Tuesday, threatening luxury homes owned by Hollywood stars and making residents run for their lives due to the ferocious wind gusting in Southern California. It forced 1,900 people out of homes, endangered 25,800 residents, targeted 13,000 construction, and scorched about 1.3 square kilometers in Pacific Palisades, as smoke reached over the city.
In specific references, evacuations were disorganized with some big arteries such as the Interstate 10 freeway and the Pacific Coast Highway shutdown. People left their cars and began running; ash started falling, while fire enveloped households. Local resident Kelsey Trainor recounted the harrowing scene: “People, and some of them were crying and carrying their children, as the fire leapt road.”
The famous people that responded to the event included James Woods who posted pictures of the fire near his home and Steve Guttenberg who encouraged those trapped in their cars to throw away keys in case the fire truck was attempting to drag them out. They said many residents claimed to have heard transformer explosions, and others reported that they have counted burnt homes.
The wildfire occurs side by side with one of the most powerful Santa Ana windstorms in more than ten years, which puts ‘blow-dryer’ conditions on the already dry vegetation of the region. Due to lack of rainfall for several weeks now, Southern California is currently in a moderate drought making fire risks prevalent. This was after the National Weather Service extended the period of danger owing to stiff breezes and higher temperatures than normal.
In response, Presice Joe Biden cancelled a trip to Riverside County and instead delivered remarks in Los Angeles. Schools in the Pacific Palisades were moved, Amazon and MGM Studios moved the release of the Jennifer Lopez picture “Unstoppable.”
With little rain since May and past wet seasons fueling dry conditions, climate scientist Daniel Swain highlighted the unusual pattern: “It has been a long time since we last observed similar drought conditions after a wet season.”
Firefighters are still working to put out the fire as Southern California prepares for additional wind born dangers.
