California [US], January 9 (ANI): At least two people have been killed and many others were injured as several fires erupted in Southern California amid dry and windy conditions, ABC News reported.
While addressing a press conference on Wednesday, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said that two people were killed and there have been a high number of injuries due to the Eaton Fire. The cause of death for the two civilians has not yet been determined. About 100 structures have been destroyed in the Eaton fire.
Tens of thousands were evacuated as over 5,000 acres burned in the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, an estimated 1,000 structures were destroyed in the Palisades Fire. Officials said there were injuries due to the fire, ABC News reported.
The Eaton Fire, which broke out miles away from the Palisades Fire in California’s Altadena, has burned 2,227 acres with zero per cent containment. Meanwhile, the Hurst Fire broke out and spread northeast of California’s San Fernando, burning at least 500 acres.
According to poweroutage.us, at least 245,000 customers were without power as of 8:40 am (local time) in Los Angeles County. California officials asked residents to follow evacuation orders to keep themselves and first responders out of danger as the fires continue to grow.
According to LAPD Chief James McDonnell, Los Angeles County and all 29 fire departments in the county “are not prepared for this type of widespread disaster,” despite officials prepositioning resources from northern California, ABC News reported.
McDonnell said, “There are not enough firefighters in LA County to address four separate fires of this magnitude.” The LAPD Chief said that the LA County Fire Department was prepared for one or two major brush fires but not four.
“The LA County Fire Department was prepared for one or two major brush fires, but not four — especially given the sustained winds and low humidities. As our director of emergency management said, this is not a normal red flag alert,” he said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency to further support the communities impacted by this fire. He visited Pacific Palisades and met with local and state fire officials to support their response to the Palisades Fire.
In a statement, Newsom said, “This is a highly dangerous windstorm that’s creating extreme fire risk – and we’re not out of the woods. We’re already seeing the destructive impacts of this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes.”
He expressed gratitude to firefighters and first responders for their quick response and urged residents to pay attention to weather reporters and follow instructions given by emergency officials.
“Our deepest thanks go to our expert firefighters and first responders who jumped quickly into fighting this dangerous fire. If you’re in Southern California, please pay attention to weather reports and follow any guidance from emergency officials,” Newsom said.
According to the statement released by the White House, the Biden-Harris administration, at the direction of US President Joe Biden, has been in constant communication with California Governor Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Bass, their teams, affected counties, and other local officials throughout the night.
The US federal government has taken action to support local firefighting efforts through four US Forest Service Large Air Tankers operating in Southern California with an additional Tanker en route. 10 Federal firefighting helicopters have been performing firefighting operations in the area in support of State and local firefighters.
The US Forest Service has prepositioned dozens of fire engines that are ready to be deployed immediately. FEMA has approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant to reimburse the state for firefighting costs. Biden reiterated his call for residents to remain vigilant and listen to the warnings issued by local officials.
On Tuesday, California Governor Newsom announced that California has secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppress the fire burning in Pacific Palisades. (ANI)
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