The evacuation order was given this Wednesday, January 8 to residents of the legendary Hollywood district, due to a new fire which broke out a few hundred meters from Hollywood Boulevard. Another fire also broke out in the evening in the neighboring Studio City district, worrying the authorities. At least five people have already died in the fierce fires that have raged around Los Angeles since Tuesday morning. “Immediate threat to life. This is a legal order to LEAVE NOW. The area is legally closed to public access,” the Los Angeles Fire Department announced seriously.
A first fire broke out Tuesday morning in the hills of the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which is home to celebrities and many multi-million dollar villas. Since then, outbreaks have multiplied and often explode very quickly, within a few minutes. “More than 7,500” firefighters, sometimes from other American states, are leading the fight against these “unprecedented fires in Los Angeles,” the governor of California said Wednesday evening.
Around 1,500 buildings have already been destroyed and more than 100,000 residents of the American megacity have been forced to flee in the face of the flames. A toll which could further increase, according to the authorities. Los Angeles is being swept by “hurricane-force winds combined with extreme drought conditions,” summarized Mayor Karen Bass during a press briefing Wednesday evening. The gusts, which blew up to 160 km/h on Wednesday, sometimes carry embers for kilometers.
Abnormal drought for the season
After the San Fernando Valley and Altadena, a new fire broke out Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills, a few hundred meters from the famous Boulevard of the Stars. The artery quickly filled with stressed motorists, stuck in traffic and trying to evacuate under the sound of horns, AFP journalists noted. “We don’t have enough firefighters in Los Angeles County to deal with this situation,” lamented the Los Angeles County Fire Chief. Towering plumes of black smoke rise above the second largest city in the United States, with the acrid smell of burning in the air. The winds pose a “mortal danger,” according to the weather service.
Altadena, located north of Los Angeles, looks like a recently bombed area, with buildings still burning and homes reduced to ashes. One of the five victims was a resident of the city, Victor Shaw, who defended his home against the flames until the end. “It seems like he was trying to save the house that his parents had for almost 55 years,” his friend Al Tanner, who found him lifeless, garden hose in hand, told KTLA.
Residents were urged by officials to conserve water as three reservoirs supplying fire hydrants were emptied by battling blazes in Pacific Palisades. In addition to the winds, meteorologist Daniel Swain points out to AFP “the lack of rain and the abnormal heat and drought for six months” to explain these disasters. Scientists regularly point out that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events. Already in the fall, large fires broke out in cities surrounding Los Angeles, engulfing dozens of buildings.
Donald Trump blames environmental policies
Traveling in California, American President Joe Biden canceled due to these fires the trip which was to take him to Italy on Thursday (probably his last trip abroad as President of the United States), and went to the firefighters on Wednesday at a Santa Monica station. The day before, he had released federal aid to facilitate the fight against the flames.
On his Truth Social platform, his successor Donald Trump attacked California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, one of his pet peeves. He designated him as “responsible” for this “real catastrophe” by asserting – falsely – that the lack of water from which the State suffered was due to its environmental policies, repeating his fanciful remarks according to which rainwater was diverted to protect a “useless fish”.
The fires caused the cancellation of many film premieres and closures of sites, such as that of the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. Or the Oscar nominations, which were to take place on January 17 and were postponed to the 19th. The Critics Choice Awards ceremony which was to be held on Sunday was also postponed, and the nominations for the SAG Awards (SAG), the awards of union of American actors, were announced by simple press release.
Several Hollywood celebrities are among the tens of thousands of people ordered to evacuate. Known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” saga, Mark Hamill announced on Instagram that he had to leave his house in Malibu, a city popular with stars, on Tuesday.