8 hours agoTen dead and thousands of houses destroyed by fires in Los Angeles
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)The two biggest fires ever involving Los Angeles in the United States this week have caused 10 deaths and destroyed at least 10,000 homes, buildings and other facilities, officials said on Friday. Officials in Los Angeles reported that the fire “Eaton”, which was lit Tuesday evening, of [...]
Officials in Los Angeles reported that the fire “Eaton”, which was lit on Tuesday evening, has destroyed more than 5,000 structures. This term includes homes, residential buildings, businesses and vehicles.
Another fire in the west of Los Angeles, the largest one ever to cover this area, has destroyed over 5,300 structures.
The death toll from fires rose to 10 out of seven, health officials in Los Angeles reported in an update Thursday night.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference that the death toll is expected to rise.
It looks like a nuclear bomb has dropped in these areas. We do not expect good news and are not looking forward to those numbers”, Luna said.
All fires that broke out this week in Los Angeles have included a 40-kilometer space north of downtown, fuelling a sense of fear and sadness throughout the country's second largest city.
The American government has not yet released figures for the cost of damage caused or for the number of destroyed structures.
AcuteWeather, a private company that offers weather data and its impact, said Thursday that damages and economic losses have amounted to $135-150 billion.
Firefighters made major advances Thursday to slow down the spread of major fires, but their containment is still difficult.
Officials still do not know what has caused the fires, but say they are constantly investigating.
Evacuations, School closures, and Arrests
At least 180,000 people are ordered to evacuate. The fire in Palisades is now the most devastating in Los Angeles history.
All schools in the United School District of Los Angeles, the second largest in the country, will remain closed Friday because of the huge smoke that has covered the city and ash falling in some areas.
Teaching will not resume until conditions improve, according to officials.
At least 20 people have been arrested for looting, and the town of Santa Monica has announced police hours due to violations of the law, officials reported.
The National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday night. The district sheriff said that to protect the properties, they will be located near areas destroyed by fire and the curfew is expected to enter into force from 6:00 to 6:00. REL
