At least 5 dead in wildfires raging through L.A., destroying nearly 2,000 structures
Firefighters battled early Thursday to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed five people, ravaged communities and sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes.
The latest flames broke out Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills, striking closer to the heart of the city and the roots of its entertainment industry and putting densely populated neighbourhoods on edge during exceptionally windy and dry conditions.
That happened as firefighters battled to control three other major blazes that killed five people, put 130,000 people under evacuation orders and ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to inland Pasadena.
The Sunset Fire was burning near the Hollywood Bowl and about 1.6 kilometres from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Ferocious winds that drove the flames and led to chaotic evacuations have calmed somewhat and were not expected to be as powerful Thursday, though could pick up again early in the weekend. A respite could provide an opportunity for firefighters to make progress reining in blazes that have hopscotched across the sprawling region, including massive ones in the areas of Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
Winds somewhat eased Wednesday, a day after hurricane-force winds blew embers through the air, igniting block after block, and hundreds of firefighters from other states have arrived to help.
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said they were able to keep the fire in check because “mother nature was a little nicer to us today than she was yesterday.”
Palisades Fire most destructive in L.A. history
The earlier fires, which have consumed a total of about 108 square kilometres, showed that the danger is far from over.
Hurricane-force winds blew embers through the air, igniting block after block in the coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades as well as in Altadena, a community near Pasadena. Nearly 2,000 homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed in those blazes — called the Palisades and Eaton fires — and the number is expected to increase.
More than half a dozen schools in the Los Angeles area were either damaged or destroyed.
The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles history in terms of damage, though the five deaths recorded so far in the Los Angeles wildfires were from the Eaton blaze.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed a federal emergency declaration after arriving at a Santa Monica fire station for a briefing with Gov. Gavin Newsom, who dispatched National Guard troops to help.
Higher temperatures and less rain mean a longer fire season California’s wildfire season is beginning earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall tied to climate change, according to recent data.
‘Somewhere that doesn’t really exist anymore’
In Palisades Village, the public library, two major grocery stores, a pair of banks and several boutiques were destroyed.
“It’s just really weird coming back to somewhere that doesn’t really exist anymore,” said Dylan Vincent, who returned to the neighbourhood to retrieve some items and saw that his elementary school had burned down and that whole blocks had been flattened.
The wildfires raging across Los Angeles County have closed major studios, halted productions, postponed award shows and levelled the homes of numerous Hollywood actors.
In Pasadena, fire Chief Chad Augustin said the city’s water system was stretched and was further hampered by power outages, but even without those issues, firefighters would not have been able to stop the fire due to the intense winds fanning the flames.
“Those erratic wind gusts were throwing embers for multiple miles ahead of the fire,” he said.
As flames moved through his neighbourhood, Jose Velasquez sprayed down his family’s Altadena home with water as embers rained down on the roof. He managed to save their home, but others weren’t so lucky.
“So we had to call a few people and then we had people messaging, asking if their house was still standing,” he said.
“We had to tell them that it’s not.”
Blackened pools, burned sports cars
Fast-moving flames allowed little time to escape.
Police sought shelter inside their patrol cars, and residents at a senior living centre were pushed in wheelchairs and hospital beds down a street to safety.
Beyond the burned areas, residents worked wearing N95 masks, unable to escape the toxic smoke wafting over huge sections of the city.
The scope of the destruction was just becoming clear: Block after block of California Mission Style homes and bungalows were reduced to nothing but charred remains dotted by stone fireplaces and blackened arched entryways. Ornate iron railing wrapped around the smoldering frame of one house.
The apocalyptic scenes spread for miles. Swimming pools were blackened with soot, and sports cars slumped on melted tires.
Actors lost homes
The flames marched toward highly populated and affluent neighbourhoods, including Calabasas and Santa Monica, home to California’s rich and famous.
Mandy Moore, Cary Elwes and Paris Hilton are among the stars who said Wednesday they lost homes.
Billy Crystal and his wife Janice lost their home of 45 years in the Palisades Fire.
“We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away,” the Crystals wrote in the statement.
Deadly and destructive wildfires are tearing through the Los Angeles area, fanned by powerful winds. Canadian actor and comedian Shaun Majumder says his house was not affected; however, he does not have power and his family could feel the strong winds.
Several Hollywood studios suspended production, the Critics Choice Award were postponed Wednesday until Jan. 26 and Universal Studios closed its theme park between Pasadena and Pacific Palisades.
In sports, the disaster prompted the NHL to postpone a Los Angeles Kings home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.
The NBA’s Lakers were still set to host a home game Thursday night against Charlotte.
The NFL said it was assessing the potential impact of the fires on its playoffs. The Los Angeles Rams host the Minnesota Vikings in a game scheduled for Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
Published at Wed, 08 Jan 2025 14:51:29 +0000
Jimmy Carter’s state funeral taking place in Washington
Jimmy Carter, the former U.S. president who struggled with a bad economy and a hostage crisis but went on to a long and admired post-White House career, will be honoured at a state funeral in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
Fellow Democratic President Joe Biden will eulogize the 39th president who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100. Biden, during his long career in the U.S. Senate, was the first member of that chamber to endorse Carter for president in the 1976 campaign
President-elect Donald Trump, who on Tuesday criticized treaties Carter signed during his presidency to give Panama authority over the Panama Canal, is expected to attend, as are former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Some world leaders and foreign dignitaries will also attend, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Carter lived longer than any other U.S. president and had been in hospice care for nearly two years before his death. His last public appearance was at the funeral for his wife, Rosalynn, who died in November 2023. At that service, Carter used a wheelchair and appeared frail.
Following the state funeral, Carter’s remains will be returned to his native Plains, Ga., where he lived in his 44 post-White House years and made the base of operations for his diplomatic work and charitable efforts including Habitat for Humanity.
‘The end of an era’
Tens of thousands of Americans over the past two days filed through the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol to pay their respects to Carter, who served from 1977 to 1981, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his humanitarian work.
As she waited in the public viewing line outside the Capitol, Dorian DeHaan said her daughter married into the family of the president’s younger sister, Ruth, presenting the opportunity to meet the former president in Plains.
“But it’s a sad moment,” DeHaan, 67, said. “It’s the end of an era and I think we kind of have lost this real belief in humanity, in our presidency.”
The public viewing hours extended overnight and and ended shortly before sunrise on Thursday. After that, an honour guard will transport his remains to the Washington National Cathedral, which has hosted the state funerals of Carter’s immediate predecessor, Gerald Ford, and successor, Ronald Reagan.
Carter attended both of those funerals and gave the eulogy for Ford.
Two of Carter’s grandsons will speak during the service, while Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will be part of the musical accompaniment.
Published at Thu, 09 Jan 2025 12:33:14 +0000
