A Los Angeles resident shares the devastating impact of the ongoing wildfires, highlighting the loss of homes, the emotional toll on communities, and the challenges faced by those affected.
A Los Angeles local has described what it's like to be living in the west coast city as destructive wildfires rage, revealing many of her friends and their families have lost homes in the horror blaze. Los Angeles resident Roxanne Hoge says many of her friends have been left shell-shocked as fires tear through parts of the city, claiming at least five lives and burning homes to the ground.
There are currently five blazes burning in LA including the Lidia, Hurst, Eaton, Sunset and Palisades fire, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Palisades fire has destroyed at least 2,000 structures, burnt through 17, 234 acres and remains at zero per cent containment with evacuation orders current for vast swathes of the nearby area. The Palisades Fire seen burning near homes amid a powerful windstorm on January 7. Picture: Mario Tama / Getty Images Two other fires are also not contained with aerial firefighting efforts hampered by extremely high winds. A whopping 130,000 people are under evacuation orders or warnings as of Wednesday night (local time) and at least five people have died in what have been described as the worst fires in the history of the city. Ms Hoge revealed what it was like to be on the ground in LA during an interview with Sky News host James Morrow on Thursday.“Everybody is grateful that they got out, there’s been five deaths so far in the Altadena area. Cars destroyed by the Eaton Fire in the parking area of a burned auto shop on January 08. Photo by JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP “All my friends in the Pacific Palisades, a lot of mothers, we all banded together during the COVID lockdowns, they are grateful that their families are with them and that they are all together and alive.Ms Hoge recounted seeing a friend on Wednesday evening (local time) who only had two pairs of shoes for her and her daughter to split along with the clothes on their backs. “They have money to get more. (But) It doesn’t matter how much money or resources you have when you reach for something, or … just remember something that’s no longer there, it is going to hurt for a very long time,” she said. She went on to describe how the high winds meant spot fires created by embers were popping up everywhere, making it hard for residents to sleep given they might need to evacuate at any moment. “I have friends, every one of them has lost their home … it is unbelievable,” she said, speaking of those living in Pacific Palisades, a coastal suburb which was largely decimated by a blaze on Tuesday. Prior to the interview with Hoge, host Mr Morrow said Los Angeles has been “badly let down” by its government at “every level”. 'Bad management, bad policies, bad politics have directly led to this tragedy or at least made it far worse than it needed to be,' Mr Morrow said
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