On Tuesday morning, live webcams showed how a backyard spark – which started as a grey smoke – spread uncontrollably and turned into a devastating wildfire.
Reuters
It only took minutes before what appeared as smoke turned into a thick cloud, and flames started whipping up the dry plants and bushes.
The wildfire is “spreading at a speed beyond anything we’ve seen… it’s now unlike anything we have seen in our lifetime,” LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said.
Unfortunately, the prospect of the out-of-control wildfire to be stopped in the days to come seems like a mission impossible due to the weather conditions.
So far, roughly 179,783 residents are under evacuation order in Los Angeles County. Another 200,000 are under evacuation warning, meaning they would need to evacuate at any moment, BBC reported.
Altadena in California after the fires/ Maxar/Reuters
At least five people lost their lives and dozens are injured.
The Palisades wildfire, the largest of the blazes in the south of LA, destroyed thousands of homes, businesses, and other structures alone.
At the time being, there are five active fires on the territory of the City of Angels.
Altadena in California after the fires/ Maxar/Reuters
Last summer, podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan recounted a conversation he had with an LA firefighter. Speaking to guest and fellow comedian Sam Morril, Rogan recalled the firefighter saying to him, “One day, it’s just gonna be the right wind and fire’s gonna start in the right place and it’s gonna burn through LA all the way to the ocean and there’s not a f***ing thing we can do about it.
“If the wind hits the wrong way, it’s just going to burn through LA.”
Sadly, these predictions came true.
According to experts, besides the weather conditions, the climate change has a lot to do with the wildfire spreading in January.
“Climate change, including increased heat, extended drought, and a thirsty atmosphere, has been a key driver in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires in the western United States,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
Maxar/Reuters
As per the Daily Mail, citing experts on the topic, heavy rains from El Niño last year fueled vegetation growth in the Los Angeles area, which dried out since then and turned highly flammable.
Once the wildfire started, Southern California faced the wrath of ‘devil winds,’ known formally as Santa Ana winds, dry, warm gusts blowing inland from the northeast, contrary to the region’s usual cooler winds originating from the Pacific Ocean.
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