Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated as a result of the massive and fast-spreading fires in Los Angeles.
Hollywood wife Gunilla Persson is afraid for her life.
– I believe in God and Jesus, and we take great comfort in the fact that there will be guardian angels outside our house until tomorrow when the storm is over, she says.
Authorities in California have declared a state of emergency in the Los Angeles area. Several fires are raging, including in the luxury district of Pacific Palisades, but also elsewhere.
A total of over 1,500 hectares of land is burning, and according to American media, the fire is spreading over an area the size of five soccer fields per minute. It is very windy in the area, which makes extinguishing work difficult.
In Pacific Palisades, over 30,000 people have been evacuated. Swedish Hollywood wife Gunilla Persson is one of them. She rents a house in the district but finds herself on Wednesday morning Swedish time at a friend’s with her daughter Erika and her dog and cat. She was ordered to evacuate during the night Swedish time.
– The entire Palisades is on fire! It said life threatening, and it is. There are hundreds of houses on fire and we have no idea where the fire is now, she says.
Burning some houses away
The family is greeted by constant updates on the phone about which streets are on fire and which buildings have been hit. According to Gunilla Persson, everything from residential buildings to grocery stores and schools are on fire or have already been completely destroyed.
The family’s home is on a mountain and according to the latest updates at 08:00 Swedish time, only three houses away are on fire.
– I live in a roller coaster where I am down in the valley right now.
“Believe in miracles”
Difficult weather conditions are causing the fires in Los Angeles to spread extremely quickly and US authorities are warning of “tornado”-like winds.
Firefighters are on the ground and unable to take off due to strong winds and poor visibility.
– We feel bad, it’s up and down. We keep faith in God and guardian angels. I believe that miracles can happen, says Gunilla Persson.