With more than 100,000 mandatory evacuations, Los Angeles has been facing one of the most destructive wildfires in history. Since January 7, this particular wildfire has killed at least 11 people and leaves firefighters struggling to contain the fire.
The fires are located in the Northwest where Los Angeles is engulfed in a circle of flames. Some of the impacted areas include beach communities of Santa Monica and Malibu, the suburban neighborhoods in Pasadena, and parts of ranch country in the San Fernando Valley with around 21,000 acres of scorched trees.
Residents were used to constant wildfires, but not all of them burning at the same time. Sparks of fire from one tree lit several other trees due to the harsh wind current. The non-stop fire caused confusion and anxiety as residents received increasing evacuation orders.
“When the fire was on-going, most of the residents were simply getting ready for bed and running their daily night routines,” Angela Campbell, former California resident, said. “With the lack of active announcements and mere phone notifications, not only did people have limited time to evacuate, but when residents were trying to escape, firefighters were already blocking the escape routes.”
Many historical sights such as the Topanga State Park and California State Parks were damaged from the fire. Not only that, sports teams such as the Clippers, Lakers, and Ram had to cancel their games or move their venues to avoid dangerous firezones such as the Palisades.
“Having lived in the US, I have seen how wildfires in California are frequently presented in the media as a constant threat to the environment and the people,” Julie Cho (11), US citizen, said. “I think that the government and other institutions should improve their plans to prevent or more effectively respond to these situations.”
At this rate, unless it rains enough for the fire to die down, experts predict the wildfires to last for a long time. With uncontrollable fires, the number of casualties are highly inaccurate as it will be difficult to upload accurate statistics.
