California wildfires

 

No control over the fire – 180,000 evacuated

The Pacific Palisades fire in Los Angeles is still zero percent contained, authorities said at a press conference according to American media.

– It is without a doubt one of the most devastating natural disasters in Los Angeles history, says Fire Chief Kristin Crowley.

The fire now covers almost 7,000 hectares and is believed to have engulfed thousands of buildings. Wind gusts of up to 26 meters per second are expected to continue on Thursday, which makes the spread extremely fast.

A total of five fires are raging in California, of which three are completely uncontained and the other two only partially contained. 180,000 people are subject to a mandatory evacuation order.

Five people have been confirmed dead, but authorities emphasize that the total number is unknown.

Expert: Climate disasters increasingly unpredictable

The fires in California symbolize a new era of more complex and interconnected climate disasters. Meteorologist and climate journalist Eric Holthaus writes in The Guardian.

“The conditions for a firestorm in Los Angeles in January have never existed before in history, but now they suddenly do.”

As the climate crisis escalates, various atmospheric, marine and ecological systems are increasingly out of balance, making weather disasters increasingly difficult to predict and prepare for, writes Holthaus.

He illustrates this with the fact that the unexpected timing of the fires in Los Angeles meant that many firefighters were on vacation, and a large part of the equipment was stored.

The fire area in Los Angeles is as large as Stockholm

The five forest fires in Los Angeles continue to spread uncontrolled in the dry, windy weather. As of Thursday evening, Swedish time, the total fire area is 116 square kilometers – almost as large as the inner city of Stockholm.

The fires, which are believed to be the costliest in US history, have so far destroyed at least 2,000 buildings. The total extent of the destruction is not yet clear.

The two largest fires, Palisades and Eaton, are still zero percent contained. 180,000 residents are under evacuation orders. Five people have been confirmed dead, but the number is expected to rise.