Powerful fires destroy communities around Los Angeleswith a balance of at least five deadseveral injured and tens of thousands of people evacuatedauthorities said this Wednesday, who fear that the death toll will continue to increase.
“Earlier we had reported two fatalities, and unfortunately it increased to five as we advanced in the area,” he said in an interview with KNX radio. Robert Lunacounty sheriff Los Angeleson the west coast of the United States.
“I’m praying we don’t find more, but I don’t think that’s the case.”
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The fatalities were recorded in the at the fire of Eatonin Altadena, a suburb north of Los Angeles, where the flames already consume more than 4,280 hectares.
Multiple fires broke out in the region, stalked by powerful winds, in the last 24 hours.
The first of these broke out on Tuesday morning in Pacific Palisadesa luxurious Los Angeles suburb coveted by celebrities and Hollywood stars.
The flames charred more than a thousand structures and some 6,390 hectares, authorities reported.
Hundreds of firefighters are fighting by air and on the ground against the flames that burn out of control, fanned by powerful gusts of wind that intensified overnight in Southern California.
Two more fires broke out around Los Angeles, placing thousands more people under evacuation orders.
“Together, these fires are pushing emergency services to the limit,” said Kristin Cowley of the city’s fire department.
Cowley said that there were several injured civilians as well as firefighters.
More than one and a half million residents in the on California They are without electrical service, which makes communications difficult.
The city woke up looking apocalyptic, covered by gray and orange clouds, as well as fallen trees and several of its characteristic palm trees broken due to the force of the winds.
The force of the fires burning simultaneously challenges even the city’s water reserves.
Several hydrants dried up in the midst of fighting the flames, and the Water and Electricity Service of Los Angeles asked citizens to save the resource.
“State of panic” due to fires
The advance of the flames has unleashed scenes of panic in several communities on the usually beautiful California coast.
“When I saw the glow of the fire coming from the mountain, I left,” said Sarahlee Stevens-Shippen, a retired plumber, in Santa Monicafrom where he watched Pacific Palisades burn.
“This has been a shock that we have not yet assimilated, but we are in survival mode, so we are grabbing what we need and getting out of here,” he told AFP.
“You have to worry about the ash in your lungs. You have to worry about your life with these 80 to 100 mile per hour gusts [128 a 160 kilómetros por hora”, agregó. “Hemos estado en modo pánico”.
Varias escuelas fueron cerradas e importantes arterias viales de la ciudad están bloqueadas.
Algunos árboles del museo Getty Villa, uno de los mayores centros de arte del mundo, ardieron debido a la proximidad de las llamas. Sin embargo, la institución “permanece a salvo e intacta”, de acuerdo con un comunicado emitido la mañana del miércoles.
“Extremadamente críticas”
Los incendios se desataron en un ambiente de baja humedad y justo cuando los llamados vientos de Santa Ana, característicos en esta temporada del año en California, avanzan con fuerza en la región.
“Las aeronaves continuarán el lanzamiento de agua en el área identificada hoy cuando el clima nos lo permita”, dijo Crowley.
Las autoridades advirtieron que la situación está lejos de mejorar.
Los vientos soplan en la región con una fuerza de entre 70 y 145 kilómetros por hora.
“Peligrosas condiciones climáticas avanzan en el sur de California con las más extremas previstas para esta mañana”, escribió el Servicio Nacional de Meteorología.
Los incendios son frecuentes en el oeste de Estados Unidos y juegan un rol importante en el ciclo de la naturaleza.
Sin embargo, la alteración de los patrones climáticos debido al cambio climático causado por la acción humana, ha derivado en condiciones extremas elevando la intensidad de este tipo de incidentes.
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California viene de atravesar dos inviernos considerablemente húmedos, lo que favoreció el crecimiento de la vegetación, combustible para incendios.
Ya este invierno se ha presentado seco.
El meteorólogo Daniel Swain explicó que, si bien los vientos han alcanzado una magnitud muy poderosa, “lo que es sin precedentes es la sequía”.
“La falta de lluvia, el calor anómalo y la sequía que hemos visto en los últimos seis meses es algo que no hemos registrado desde los años de 1800”, comentó.
Debido a la dramática situación que enfrenta California, estados vecinos enviaron refuerzos para enfrentar el fuego, y el gobierno federal aprobó recursos.
EAM
