Los Angeles fires burn 10,000 structures as new blaze spreads

Local officials reported that two wildfires in the Los Angeles region have resulted in at least 10 fatalities and destroyed around 10,000 homes and buildings, while a new fire has led to the evacuation of thousands of additional residents.

“We are expecting this fire to rapidly spread due to high winds,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said.

The most recent fire, known as the Kenneth fire, ignited in West Hills, a community in the San Fernando Valley, on Thursday afternoon while fire teams were still trying to control the Palisades and Eaton fires. “We anticipate this fire will quickly spread because of strong winds,” stated Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

As of 9pm local time (05:00 GMT on Friday), the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner reported at least 10 fatalities, an increase from seven earlier that day.

The most recent evacuation orders were issued as authorities verified that the Palisades and Eaton fires had both ruined over 5,000 structures, encompassing residences and various other assets like vehicles and storage sheds.

According to the state wildfire agency Cal Fire, the two blazes have burned over 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres) of land collectively. Three minor fires are currently raging in and near Los Angeles. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna stated in a news conference that he anticipated the then-reported death count of seven would increase.

“It appears that an atomic bomb fell in these regions.” “I’m not anticipating positive updates, and we aren’t eager for those figures,” Luna stated. Almost 180,000 individuals are facing evacuation orders because of the fire, with an additional 200,000 residents under evacuation warnings, as reported by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Over 285,000 people are experiencing power outages in Southern California, as reported by PowerOutage.us, which monitors outages across the country, and the water and sewage systems in the region have sustained significant damage.