Los Angeles wildfires spread out of control, forcing 70,000 to evacuate
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‘We are prioritising life over everything else’. At least four fast-growing wildfires raged out of control around Los Angeles on Wednesday, destroying hundreds of homes and prompting evacuation orders for 70,000 residents. Fierce winds hindered efforts to contain the blazes, which have spread rapidly through residential areas including the Pacific Palisades district between Santa Monica and Malibu where many celebrities live.
Two people have already been killed and many more injured as authorities pleaded with Californians to heed warnings to leave their homes. Governor Gavin Newsom said the state has deployed more than 1,400 firefighters and, in a rare plea, the Los Angeles Fire Department asked all off-duty firefighters in the city to help.
“We are prioritising life over everything else,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. Flames in the Eaton fire, which broke out near a nature reserve north east of LA, spread so rapidly that staff at a nursing home had to push dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street.
Residents as old as 102 waited in their bedclothes as embers fell around them until ambulances, buses and construction vans arrived to take them to safety. The biggest blaze has consumed more than 5,000 acres in Pacific Palisades, destroying 1,000 structures and threatening many more including the $15.6m home of Hollywood star Chris Pratt.
He thanked emergency workers and urged neighbours to “support one another” amid the destruction. He posted on Instagram: “Thank you to the brave firefighters and first responders who are working tirelessly to protect lives, homes, and wildlife… you are true heroes, and we are endlessly grateful for your sacrifice and courage.”.
