Los Angeles wildfires spread to hills above Hollywood Boulevard
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Five separate blazes have killed at least five people, destroyed 2,000 buildings and forced evacuation of 130,000 people. California wildfires – live. The raging wildfires that have blazed around Los Angeles for two days, killing at least five people, destroying almost 2,000 homes and buildings, and forcing the evacuation of more than 130,000 people, have spread to the hills above Hollywood Boulevard.
![[Flames on a hill at night]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4a876ea3472881eb2a1b48b7526fb62b8a387514/256_0_7680_4608/master/7680.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
As firefighters battled five separate blazes, the White House announced that Joe Biden had cancelled Thursday’s visit to Italy – the final overseas trip of his presidency – to focus on directing the federal response to the fires. The emergency began on Tuesday afternoon, when a powerful windstorm fanned the flames of a fire in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, prompting thousands to flee.
![[Moment California residents run from home as wildfires spread – video]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f0344b8eb20cafbb7e3f40a34daa03e65b9101d6/0_0_1920_1080/1920.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The blazes intensified overnight as firefighters struggled to contain the flames in the extreme winds, during what one official described as among the “most devastating and terrifying nights” in city history. Although the winds had begun to ease by Wednesday evening, and firefighters from across the state were relieving exhausted crews, the danger was far from over. As officials provided an update on the fires, a new blaze broke out in the Hollywood Hills, and evacuation orders were also extended to Santa Monica.
![[Firefighters fight flames inside a middle school during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles county, California.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9c6f08bbc8cb2a8b593d2f1d6cfaf1494c750feb/0_180_8148_4888/master/8148.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Human-caused climate breakdown is supercharging extreme weather across the world, driving more frequent and more deadly disasters from heatwaves to floods to wildfires. The region has been experiencing warmer than average temperatures in January, in part due to recent blasts of dry air, including the notorious Santa Ana winds. Southern California has not recorded more than 0.1in (2.5mm) of rain since early May.
