Los Angeles: A state of emergency has been declared due to a massive fast-moving wildfire in the Los Angeles hillsides, forcing around 30,000 residents to evacuate their houses and move to safer locations. The blaze has reportedly destroyed nearly 3,000 acres in the Pacific Palisades area. As per AFP, hurricane-force winds are making things worse.
Notably, the Pacific Palisades is home to several Hollywood celebrities and multi-millionaires. Nearly 26,000 people in more than 10,000 households and more than 13,000 structures are under threat from the blaze, said Kristin Crowley, fire chief of the LA Fire Department, as reported by The Associated Press.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency. "This is a highly dangerous windstorm that’s creating extreme fire risk – and we’re not out of the woods. We’re already seeing the destructive impacts with this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes," he said in a statement as quoted by News18.
The Los Angeles Unified School District temporarily relocated students from three campuses in the Pacific Palisades area due to the blaze. Amazon and MGM Studios cancelled a premiere of Jennifer Lopez's new film "Unstoppable" due to the fires and high winds, reported The Associated Press.
The local authorities used bulldozers to tow away the cars clear the way for rescue operations in Santa Monica Mountains. Many of the vehicles, including luxury cars like BMW and Mercedes could be seen towing away by bulldozers. Some of they were reportedly destroyed. The video of bulldozers towing away cars in the Pacific Palisades area also surfaced on social media.
Here Is The Video:
According to reports, a renowned museum, The Getty Villa. also suffered some damages. However, the collections are reportedly safe.US President Joe Biden approved federal aid to California to control the wildfire.
