The California wildfires

Fires may get new oxygen from strong winds: “Chaotic”

The extinguishing work for the “Sunset Fire”, which threatened residents of Hollywood and the Hollywood Hills on Thursday, is progressing. Fox News has spoken to two sources who state that the fire appears to be under control.

At the same time, the danger is far from over for residents of the Los Angeles region. The “Sunset Fire” is the smallest of five raging in Southern California. The two largest fires, the “Palisades Fire” and the “Eaton Fire”, have grown further and now cover areas of just over 7,000 and 4,000 hectares respectively. The fires have so far been historically devastating.

During the night towards Thursday American time, the strong winds that provide oxygen to the fires have subsided somewhat, but authorities warn that the weather could make it more difficult for the emergency services to work on Thursday and Friday. New strong winds risk causing the fires to grow “chaotically.”

The red weather warnings that affect millions of Americans are still active.

Patrice: “The worst I’ve ever experienced – it’s like Armageddon”

Patrice Winter was baking when she saw the black smoke in the sky over Topanga outside Los Angeles. She has lived in the area for 55 years, but the wildfires that are now raging in the area are the worst she has ever experienced.

– It’s like Armageddon, she says in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

– What is shown on the news is really true. It’s not sensationalism, I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

On Tuesday, she was forced to leave her bakery after an evacuation order. Like many other residents, she is now waiting for answers on how much damage the flames have caused.

More than 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate as the flames devour everything in their path. At least five people have died and authorities have warned that the death toll could rise.

Apocalyptic scenes in Los Angeles – flames are approaching the heart of Hollywood

Early Thursday morning Swedish time, a new fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills, just a few hundred meters from the iconic Hollywood Boulevard, American media reports. A total of six fires are now raging simultaneously and more than 100,000 people have been urged to leave their homes.

The emergency services have issued a new evacuation order that includes the area where the Dolby Theatre is located. The Oscars are being held in the building, and next week's Oscar nominations have been postponed due to the fires.

In the western parts of Los Angeles, emergency services are battling the fire named the "Palisades Fire", which has now spread over around 6,400 hectares. "Apocalyptic," says NBC News reporter Liz Kreutz, reporting from Malibu.

Over 1,100 buildings have been destroyed and five people have been confirmed dead.