Los Angeles inferno: Deadly blaze leaves city reeling
Apocalyptic scenes unfold in Los Angeles. A massive fire has raged for several days, killing at least five people and damaging nearly 2,000 buildings. The head of the Los Angeles Fire Department revealed the cause of this nightmare. Meanwhile, terrifying time-lapse videos showing the spread of the fire have surfaced online.
Since Tuesday, fires have been ravaging the Los Angeles area. These fires have already killed at least five people and forced over 100,000 residents to evacuate. Nearly 2,000 buildings have suffered damage. Many celebrities, such as Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore, Adam Brody, and Paris Hilton, lost their homes. The losses are estimated at $48 billion.
The fires, affecting an area of nearly 42 square miles, show no signs of subsiding. Finally, on Thursday, the wind began to diminish, which had previously hindered the firefighters' efforts and caused the fire to spread rapidly.
Kristin Crowley, the head of the Los Angeles Fire Department, stated that the fire broke out on Tuesday in the garden of a house on the city's outskirts. Crowley informed reporters that the fire is "spreading at a speed beyond anything we've seen... it's now unlike anything we have seen in our lifetime," as reported by the "Daily Mail."
Terrifying footage from Los Angeles
Online, a time-lapse video captured from various web cameras reveals how rapidly the fire spread across the city. It began with a small plume of smoke on the outskirts of Los Angeles, quickly turning into a dense cloud. Within minutes, flames started consuming the wooded area, setting the City of Angels ablaze.
The situation in Los Angeles is critical, with photos and videos strongly resembling scenes from an apocalypse. The fires are engulfing buildings and vehicles left behind by fleeing residents.
Experts note that last year's El Niño rains fostered the growth of vegetation, which has now dried up and become highly flammable. The uncontrollable spread of the fire has also been exacerbated by "devil winds," known as Santa Ana winds.
Firefighting efforts are not only impeded by strong winds but also by a lack of water. The "Los Angeles Times" reported that in the celebrity neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, there was a shortage of water in hydrants, preventing firefighters from effectively battling the blaze.
