Authorities in Los Angeles appeared before the cameras again and gave information about the developments regarding the fires in which 5 people lost their lives. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna stated that although the death toll was announced as 5, “they do not know exactly” how many people lost their lives and that they expect the number to increase.
“I HOPE I AM WRONG, BUT I THINK THE NUMBER WILL INCREASE”
Luna stated that the sheriff’s department continues to work with the county coroner on the number of deaths and said, “The crisis continues, be patient about the number of deaths. I hope I am wrong, but I think the number will increase.” he said.
Pointing out that the destruction in the fires was great, Luna said that some areas “looked as if a bomb had been dropped” and that they would carry out extensive work in these areas with dogs and search equipment.
Emphasizing that authorities must comply with evacuation orders, Luna said, “In Los Angeles County, approximately 180 thousand people are currently under evacuation order and approximately 200 thousand people are under evacuation warning.” he said. Luna stated that it is very important for residents who are asked to evacuate to comply with the warnings.
On the other hand, it was reported that at least 20 people were arrested in the evacuation zones for looting or similar crimes.
“THE REASON THE DESTRUCTION IS SO BAD IS THE UNPRECEDENTED WINDS”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also addressed criticism that the city government was unprepared for fires and that fire hydrants on some streets ran out of water, saying, “We all know that this is an unprecedented event and also that fire hydrants were not built to deal with such massive destruction.” he said.
“That’s why the destruction was so bad, unprecedented winds,” Bass said, noting the high winds that fueled the fires and delayed the intervention of support planes. he said.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley also stated that they still could not control the fire in the Palisades region, which started on January 7, and said, “We can say that the Palisades fire is one of the most devastating natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles.” he said.
WARNING TO CITIZENS: ‘DRINK THE WATER BY BOILING’
Crowley said that the flames burned more than 27 thousand acres, which is equivalent to approximately 20 thousand football fields. Stating that arson investigations were carried out regarding the fires, Crowley stated that 21 officials, 16 of whom were arson experts, and a trained dog were actively investigating the beginning of the Palisades fire.
Authorities also stated that there were natural gas outages in the city due to the ongoing fires, and serious damage occurred to the transportation system and sewage system, and warned citizens to boil water and drink it.
It was announced that the forest fire, which broke out in one of the luxury neighborhoods of the city, continued in 6 regions and 5 people had died so far.
Los Angeles Fire Department officials stated that one of the most devastating fires in the history of the city had occurred, and that approximately 2 thousand houses had been completely burned so far. It was stated that the fire spread to the Hollywood region, and many celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Mandy Moore and Cary Elwes lost their homes.
It was announced that all schools in the relevant regions were closed due to the fires.
(AA)