Two men have died, dozens of homes burnt down and 100,000 people were forced to evacuate as LA’s raging 28 sqkm wildfire.
The wildfire burning on the northern edge of Los Angeles has grown to more than 28 square kilometres. Dramatic video has emerged showing a fast-moving wildfire fuelled by fierce Santa Ana winds exploding along LA’s north, forcing thousands to flee to evacuation centres.
The wildfire prompted the mass evacuation in the foothills of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. A man went into cardiac arrest and died at the scene when the blaze swept through his mobile home park in Riverside County east of Los Angeles. Another California man, 67, who relied on an oxygen pump died 12 minutes after power was cut from his area to prevent wildfires spreading.Travel through the area remains difficult, with the California Highway Patrol saying sections of two interstate and one state highway would remain closed. A 28 square kilometre wildfire is burning on the northern edge of California. Picture: Gene B Levin/Reuters.A firefighter walks near a backfire during the Saddleridge fire in Newhall, California>Picture: Josh Edelson.Source:AFP People who fled the wind-driven wildfire burning in Los Angeles described getting out of the area as it rapidly spread. Melissa Moffett was pet-sitting for friends when she went outside before going to bed and saw fire coming down a hill. Moffett quickly loaded three dogs and four cats into a car, one cat slipping its leash and running off before she got the others safely to an evacuation centre. Jonathan Stahl was driving home when he saw smoke and went to a mobile home park to evacuate his 91-year-old grandmother, Beverly Stahl and family members by 2am to a centre.California’s largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric Company , switched off the power on Thursday because the winds had increased the possibility of transmission lines toppling to the ground and starting more fires. People evacuate their homes as the Saddleridge Fire grows in the Porter Ranch section of Los Angeles, California. Picture: David McNew.The sun rises through thick smoke from the fires near Los Angeles in which two have died. Picture: Dean Musgrove/The Orange County Register.Firefighters battled flames from the air and on the ground as Police Chief Michel Moore said mandatory evacuations had encompassed residents from more than 20,000 houses. Power was returned on Friday for many of the nearly 2 million in 543,000 California businesses and residences, nearly 195,000 customers were still in the dark. Of the death of the man who relied on oxygen, California Governor Gavin Newsom said “It’s devastating beyond words. “Losing a family member is horrific and to the extent this was the reason why I hope that is investigated and I hope those responsible are held to account.” PG&E said the forced blackouts were a matter of public safety to prevent blazes that previously killed scores of people, destroyed thousands of homes, and cost the company billions of dollars in claims. Consumer goods and retail practice global consultancy A.T. Kearney estimated $100m in $200 million in fresh food was likely lost because of outages, plus $30m in consumer spending. Miles of trucks wait along the I-5 freeway in Newhall, California as wildfires force major road closures. Picture: David Crane/The Orange County Register.
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