The wildfires raging in Los Angeles have claimed at least five lives and forced tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes, with parts of the Hollywood Hills under imminent threat from the advancing flames.
The disaster has left a trail of destruction, becoming one of the most devastating in the city's history.
Two large outbreaks, known as the Palisades and Eaton fires, have each destroyed 1,000 buildings, becoming the most destructive wildfires ever recorded in Los Angeles County.
According to the California Fire Department, the magnitude of the devastation was unprecedented, leaving neighborhoods in ruins and prompting large-scale evacuations.
Tribune Online concluded that the fires were fueled by a combination of weather conditions over the past year. Heavy rains caused by the El Niño weather system in early 2024 caused excessive vegetation growth, which then dried out during a severe drought in the second half of the year.
Southern California received only 4 mm (0.15 in) of rain during this period. These dry conditions, along with strong winds, created the perfect storm for wildfires to ignite and spread.
Compounding the severity, temperatures in Los Angeles have hovered around 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit), unusually high for winter. Kristina Dahl, vice president of science at Climate Central, explained that these conditions, hot, dry weather combined with strong winds are causing fires to spread rapidly across Southern California.
The human cost of the disaster has been daunting. Five deaths have been confirmed, although city officials fear more victims may be found among the charred remains.
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Since Tuesday, nearly 2,000 homes and buildings have been consumed by flames, forcing more than 100,000 residents to evacuate. Among the affected areas is the historic district of Hollywood, where the flames threaten its emblematic boulevard and its luxury residences.
Many of these high-value homes, worth millions, have been reduced to ashes, with damage estimated at a staggering $57 billion (€55 billion) by AccuWeather, potentially making it the world's largest wildfire. expensive ever recorded.
The wildfires have also disrupted daily life and major events in Los Angeles. President Joe Biden, who was in town to announce the creation of two new national monuments, had to cancel his planned speech due to high winds. Other events have also been affected, including the Critics Choice Awards, a highly anticipated ceremony in Hollywood, which has been cancelled.
The Oscar nominations presentation was delayed until Jan. 19, while filming on popular shows like Grey's Anatomy and Jimmy Kimmel Live was temporarily halted. Even the Universal Studios theme park has closed its doors as the fires continue.
Despite the relatively small size of the fires, covering approximately 120 square kilometers (about 30 acres), their impact has been catastrophic. The destruction of homes, the displacement of thousands of people, and the threat to cultural sites like Hollywood Boulevard have set these wildfires apart from others in recent history.
As the city struggles to contain the flames, residents and officials are bracing for more challenges in the coming days, knowing the magnitude of the losses will take years to rebuild and recover from.
Newslodge