California fires aren’t unheard of, but the state has started the year with a blaze. This out-of-control fire started in Palisades, California on Tuesday, January 7, from an unknown source burning and engulfing everything in its path.
This wildfire spread across LA rapidly, leading to 10 deaths, and hundreds of buildings burnt down, prompting the Los Angeles county, to order an emergency evacuation order for nearly 180,000 residents. Officials issued the evacuees to evacuation shelters. As the LA wildfires raged on, evacuees were wrapping their heads around the losses of their homes, belongings, and memories. Many evacuees fled their homes with only the belongings they could carry.
Despite the efforts of thousands of firefighters, some fires remain uncontained, due to climate change and weather conditions, meaning it’ll blaze on for days to come, putting 200,000 more residents under evacuation warning. The 180,000 residents that were already evacuated, Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Kenneth, and Lidia were under fire.
Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a request of the California National Guard to assist Los Angeles County to ensure safety after reports of looting in abandoned cities. Newsom told CNN, “To those who would seek to take advantage of evacuated communities, let me be clear: looting will not be tolerated,” said Newsom. They are currently arresting those who tried looting or have looted.
As the wildfires blaze, Donald Trump blames the Democratic governor Newsom on social media for, “refusing to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way.” Trump lashes out on Newsom’s forest management policies saying the fish conservation efforts are responsible for the fire hydrants running dry in areas.
Meanwhile, over 180,000 residents of California have been advised to evacuate the fires that consumed over 37 thousand acres. The wildfire that started in Palisades became the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history.
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