Raging wildfires around Los Angeles have left two people dead and “a number of significant injuries,” fire officials said Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, we have two reported fatalities to civilians, unknown cause at the time, and we do have a number of significant injuries,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during a press conference.
Palisades fire is ‘growing’ as thousands of acres burned
Marrone also said that 1,000 buildings have been destroyed due to one fire, which is mostly in the wealthy Palisades neighborhood of the city.
“We have well over 5,000 acres that have burned, and the fire is growing,” Marrone said, while adding “we have no percentage of containment.”
The Palisades fire is not the only blaze around Los Angeles. The Eaton fire is raging in Altadena, north of the city, whereas the Hurst fire is near the northern Los Angeles suburb of Sylmar.
Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said the Palisades fire and the Hurst fire are “stretching the capacity of emergency services to their maximum limits.”
At least 70,000 Los Angeles residents have been urged to evacuate.
LA mayor tells residents to stay inside, wear masks due poor air quallity
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, in a Wednesday morning post on X, told city residents “there will be notable impacts to air quality with winds pushing smoke across the Los Angeles area.”
“Please limit your exposure by remaining indoors with window and doors closed and wearing a properly fit mask,” Bass said.
Tourist spots around the city, such as Griffith Park and the Hollywood Sign, are also closed to tourists at the moment due to the fires.
The California Institute of Technology, known as CalTech, also cancelled classes on Wednesday due to the nearby Eaton fire.
wd/ab (Reuters, AFP)
