Inferno in Los Angeles: Fires claim lives, millions evacuated
Apocalyptic scenes in Los Angeles. A massive fire raging for several days has killed at least five people and damaged nearly 2,000 buildings. The head of the fire department in the "City of Angels" revealed the cause of the nightmare. Meanwhile, terrifying time-lapse videos showing the spread of the fire have appeared online.
Since Tuesday, fires have been raging in the Los Angeles area, which have already claimed at least five lives and forced over 100,000 residents to evacuate. The fire has damaged nearly 2,000 buildings. Many celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore, Adam Brody, and Paris Hilton, have lost their homes. Losses are estimated at 48 billion dollars.
The fires, which have affected an area of nearly 110 square kilometres, are not subsiding. Only on Thursday did the wind strength diminish, which had effectively hindered firefighters' efforts to control the blaze and caused the fire to spread rapidly.
Kristin Crowley, the head of the fire department in Los Angeles, stated that the fire broke out on Tuesday in the garden of a house on the outskirts of the city. Crowley told reporters that the fire is "spreading at a speed beyond anything we've seen... it's now unlike anything we have seen in our lifetime," reports "Daily Mail".
Terrifying footage from Los Angeles
A time-lapse video (recordings from various web cameras) has appeared online, showing how rapidly the fire spread across the city. It started with a small smoke on the outskirts of Los Angeles, which quickly turned into a dense cloud. Within a few minutes, flames began to consume the wooded area, and the City of Angels was ablaze.
The situation in the city is critical, and the photos and videos strongly resemble scenes from an apocalypse. The fires have engulfed buildings and vehicles abandoned by residents.
Experts point out that last year's El Niño rains promoted the growth of vegetation, which has now dried up and become flammable. The uncontrolled spread of the fire was also exacerbated by "devil winds," known as Santa Ana winds.
Firefighting efforts are hindered not only by strong winds but also by a lack of water. The "Los Angeles Times" reported that in the celebrity neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades, there was a shortage of water in hydrants, which prevented firefighters from working.
