On January 7th, southern California in the United States experienced a strong dry storm "Santa Ana" winds. Strong winds triggered many wildfires, among which the Pacific Palisades area near Los Angeles, California, was the most severe. According to the California state government, Los Angeles County, where Pacific Palisades is located, and neighboring Ventura County have entered a state of emergency.
According to the National Weather Service, parts of Southern California, including Los Angeles County, will experience "extremely critical" winds and fire weather from the 7th to the 9th. The agency issued its highest alert for extreme fire conditions across much of Los Angeles County.
According to US media reports, after wildfires broke out in the Pacific Palisades area on the 7th, Southern California Edison Company cut off power to about 5,000 customers in Los Angeles County and about 3,000 customers in neighboring Ventura County. According to reports, the power company is also preparing to cut power to more than 410,000 customers in Southern California.
The head of the Los Angeles Fire Department said that about 30,000 people in Pacific Palisades and nearby areas received evacuation orders. Some people encountered traffic jams during the evacuation process, so they chose to abandon their cars and flee on foot. In addition, about 13,000 buildings in the area are threatened by wildfires.
The Santa Ana winds often appear in autumn and winter, coming from the inland desert areas of Southern California and blowing towards the Pacific coast. The Santa Anna Winds are extremely dry and known as the 'Devil's Wind' due to its tendency to trigger wildfires.
According to the latest information released by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, wildfires in the area are still not under effective control. In the early morning of the 8th local time, the city of Malibu, located west of Pacific Palisades, California, issued an evacuation warning. The city noted in a statement that the wildfire in the Pacific Palisades area remains uncontrolled and continues to spread due to strong winds. Local reminders said that although some people's areas may not have received evacuation orders, officials urged to be prepared to evacuate.
On January 8th, as the wildfire continued to rage, affected by hurricane-level winds, the fire was currently difficult to control. Many celebrities living in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, had to flee their mansions. Authorities warned that a superstorm is about to hit, those who are not to leave will loss life.
It is reported that the Palisades Fire has burned more than 1,182 hectares of land and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. At the same time, the Eaton Fire also swept through approximately 405 hectares, with more than 52,000 residents under evacuation orders. The Hurst fire in the north spread to about 202 hectares in just four hours. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency across the state and deployed more than 1,400 firefighters and emergency personnel to fight the fire.
