Thousands flee as winds drive wildfires in Los Angeles | Weather News
Some panicked residents were forced to abandon their cars and flee on foot due to the rapidly spreading fire.
Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee parts of Los Angeles as strong winds fueled the rapid spread of wildfires around the western United States city.
More than 30,000 people were evacuated Tuesday as strong winds fueled the Pacific Palisades fire. Other wildfires later saw other areas around southern California threatened.
Terrified residents abandoned their cars on one of the only roads in and out of the Pacific Palisades high-rise, fleeing on foot from the nearly 3,000-hectare (1,200-acre) blaze that has engulfed an area full of multimillion-dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains. .
Firefighters used bulldozers to push dozens of cars to one side, leaving many crumpled and alarms sounding, to allow emergency vehicles to enter.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said despite the chaos, there were no immediate reports of casualties.
A fire official told KTLA television station that many people were injured, some with burns on their faces and hands. Another female firefighter was reportedly injured in the head.
Hundreds of firefighters are all over the place, attacking the fire from the ground and from the air, while crews work at heights cutting vegetation and creating fire extinguishers.
“We are out of danger,” said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, speaking at an afternoon press conference.
A second fire broke out about 50 kilometers inland near Pasadena, doubling in size to 400 hectares (162 acres) in a matter of hours, according to Cal Fire.
About 100 elderly people living in nursing homes have been evacuated from the city, according to CBS News.
Videos and photos showed elderly residents, many in wheelchairs and gurneys, crowded into the smoky and windy parking lot as fire trucks and ambulances lined up.
Fire officials said a third fire has prompted evacuations in the San Fernando Valley, northwest of LA.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said President Joe Biden has authorized federal aid to help firefighters respond.
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