How wildfires are wreaking havoc in Los Angeles: An interactive guide, map
The California wildfires that erupted on January 7, Tuesday, were triggered by the high gusts of Santa Ana winds.
Wildfires raging in the Los Angeles have turned thousands of structures into ashes and rubble, and forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes.
Powered by the Santa Ana winds, the fires started on January 7, Tuesday, and quickly spread to an area larger than the size of San Francisco. Of the four major blazes, the one in the upscale Pacific Palisades area has proved to be the most destructive one so far. The wildfires have claimed at least 11 lives and the toll is expected to rise in the Southern California city, a fire department official told The Associated Press.
Here's an interactive guide to what's happening in Los Angeles:
The wind-whipped blazes ripped through the LA neighbourhoods of Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and Pasadena, with residents describing the fires like “nothing that they have seen before”
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL Fire), as of January 11, nearly 36,000 acres has burned down in the wildfires. The Palisades fire burnt over 21 acres of land, Eaton fire claimed more than 14 acres, Kenneth Fire spread over 1,000 acres and Hurst fire burnt down 700 acres.
Santa Ana winds
The strong gusts of 'Santa Ana' winds, with a strength of a hurricane, fueled the raging wildfires in California. The winds blew from the desert interior of southern part of the city towards the coast, opposite to the usual flow of moist air from the Pacific.
As firefighters battled the blazes, their work was made even more difficult by the winds. The danger of the Santa Ana winds comes with their ability to dry out vegetation and triggering single-digit humidity levels. These winds are also nicknamed as 'devil winds'.
The high winds and dry conditions across Southern California further set the stage for the wildfires. The National Weather Services of LA forecast the wind speeds could increase through January 11 to 12. The weather office said that Fire Weather Watches might be upgraded to Red Flag Warnings.
Despair engulfs Los Angeles
Water running short and fire hydrants going dry did not help the blazing situation. Responses to LA's 'apocalyptic' fire birthed anger and resentment among residents, questioning the timing of the arrival of National Guard soldiers, water shortage, and drying or 'low pressure' hydrants. A resident told AFP, "Our city has completely let us down".
The California wildfires broke the hearts of many residents, leaving them in despair as they watched their homes turn into shambles. A Pacific Palisades resident, who lived there for 31 years, told AP that the "small heirlooms are the ones that really hurt the most". Another Altadena resident expressed the "devastating" loss of a world her family built for themselves.
Celebrities lost homes too
Hollywood celebrities also figured among those who lost their homes to the massive wildfires in LA, California. Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, Paris Hilton, Mandy Moore and Billy Crystal, all endured the loss of theirs homes in the raging blazes.
As of January 11, the intense wildfires destroyed 10,000 buildings, forced 180,000 out of their homes, claimed 11 lives, and caused a damage of $150 billion. So far, Palisades fire consumed 86 sq km, Eaton fire had 56 sq km (square kilometers), Kenneth took 4 sq km, Hurst fire consumed 3 sq km and Lidia fire 1.6 sq km.
(with inputs from agencies)
