At least five people have been confirmed dead in California, USA, where the powerful fires continue to spread.
The strong winds cause the fires to spread quickly and the emergency services have difficulty in gaining control over the extensive and historically massive fires that affect several parts of Los Angeles. Over 1,100 buildings have been destroyed and five people have lost their lives so far.
On Thursday morning, it is reported to be burning just a few hundred meters from the iconic Hollywood Boulevard.
– You feel helpless. We’ve just been standing here all day. We cannot help or do anything. We think we brought everything we need from the house, but who knows? Many don’t even know if they have any houses left, says Tracy Brooks, a resident of Los Angeles, to TV4 Nyheterna.
New evacuation order
Another evacuation order has been sent out this morning to residents in and around the Hollywood Hills.
“There is an immediate danger to life. This is a legal order to LEAVE NOW. The area has been closed to the public,” local authorities write in a statement.
For many who are forced to evacuate, it is the personal items that are most important to bring with them.
– I came back to get some more family photos, things like that. Now the family is calling. It’s important stuff to them too, so they want me to get it out of the house. It is said that we are not allowed to come back here later, says resident Mahrouz Cohen.
The TV4 reporter: “Completely charred”
TV4 News’ foreign correspondent Tomas Kvarnkullen is on site in Los Angeles. He describes completely charred neighborhoods.
– I was inside one of the most affected areas, in another part of Los Angeles after the police and emergency services allowed me and other journalists to go in there. What we saw there was a huge devastation, houses, homes and other buildings. Cars, caravans and other things that were completely charred or lying in ashes on the ground, says Kvarnkullen.
– It is therefore not difficult for those Los Angeles residents who are sober, who have been through fires before, but who say that this is the worst they have been through.
The White House announces that President Joe Biden is canceling his last planned foreign trip, which was to Italy for a meeting with the Pope, due to the fires.