The wildfires killed 28 people so far and 88,000 people are now under evacuation orders and 84,000 under evacuation warning. 40,462 acres burned in all California and 39,807 in Los Angeles, which makes it the main region that is currently burning.
The region didn’t receive rain in eight months or more which makes it a vulnerable region for wildfires to spread. Additionally, strong winds move the fires very quickly. Even though, the cause of all these fires remain under investigation.
Among the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Fire and the Kenneth Fire, which are the biggest wildfires that occurred in California this year, Los Angeles never met a fire has destructive as the Palisades Fire. It burned 23,713 acres of territory since its beginning on January 7th.
Lucy Sherriff, a climate reporter who had to evacuate her condo in the Palisades, shared her experience on BBC News. ”The scene was truly apocalyptic – a bright red Sun cast an orange glow over us, and ash rained down like snow.” She confided in her article.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, this fire destroyed 6,380 structures and damaged 857. In addition, 12,280 structures are threatened.
“I could see the fire raging from the roof of my building and many of my neighbors left with their suitcases, many of our friends are here sheltering, with some having lost their home and apartments entirely.” shared Mackenzie Leigh, a film producer who was living in the Pacific Palisades half of her time, 3 blocks away from the evacuation zone.
The region was also occupied by celebrities like Paris Hilton, Jushua Jackson, Adam Brody and Leighton Meester who all lost their houses in the fires. “When I first saw the news, I was in complete shock—I couldn’t process it. But now, standing here and seeing it with my own eyes, it feels like my heart has shattered into a million pieces.” Paris Hilton shared on social media on January 9th along with a video of her burned house.
People begin to return to their houses or what’s left of it. “This is just so devastating. And somehow we are supposed to come back and rebuild,” declared Rachel Darvish. She lived all her life in the Pacific Palisades.
The repairing costs are between 135 and 150 billion dollars. The Los Angeles wildfires could be among the costliest ones in the United States.
