Los Angeles fires burn 10,000 buildings as new blaze spreads | News
A third fire breaks out in the West Hills as authorities struggle to bring existing fires under control.
Two wildfires in the Los Angeles area have killed at least seven people and burned about 10,000 homes and structures, local officials said, while a third blaze prompted the evacuation of thousands of new residents.
The latest fire, the Kenneth Fire, broke out in West Hills, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley, Thursday afternoon as fire crews were still struggling to contain the Palisades and Eaton fires.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the third fire was expected to spread quickly due to high winds.
The latest evacuation orders came after officials confirmed the Palisades and Eaton fires each destroyed about 5,000 structures, which includes homes as well as other property such as cars and sheds.
The two fires have consumed more than 30,000 hectares (12,000 acres) of land between them, according to the state wildfire agency Cal Fire.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference that he expects the number of confirmed dead to rise.
“It looks like an atomic bomb was dropped on these areas. I don’t expect good news and we are not looking forward to those numbers – said Luna.
Nearly 180,000 people are under fire evacuation orders, while another 200,000 residents are subject to evacuation warnings, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Dozens of blocks were reduced to ashes in the affluent communities of Malibu and Pacific Palisades.
Celebrities including James Woods, Paris Hilton and Billy Crystal are among those who lost their homes in the fires.
“There are areas where everything is gone, there’s not a piece of wood left, it’s just dirt,” said Barbara Bruderlin, head of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce.
Reporting from Pacific Palisades, Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds said the scale of the devastation was “hard to imagine”.
“The slopes were burned. There is a high school… that was badly damaged. You can see houses with nothing but chimneys,” he said.
“It goes on – literally – mile after mile, block after block after block.”
US President Joe Biden, who should be replaced in the White House on January 20 by the newly elected President Donald Trump, appealed to Congress to provide assistance.
“I hope they’re willing to step up because we can afford it,” Biden said, adding that he hopes lawmakers “don’t make a political deal on this.”
“I’m leaving this office soon, but this is not about politics,” Biden said.