Many famous people also had to flee

(CLO) Raging wildfires in the US state of California killed at least five people, destroyed hundreds of buildings and forced more than 70,000 people to evacuate on Wednesday (January 8).

Out of control, at least 5 people died

Strong winds have hampered firefighting efforts and fanned the flames since they began on Tuesday. At least five deaths have been reported. Water shortages have hampered firefighting efforts, especially in Pacific Palisades, a prime coastal enclave where a wildfire has burned nearly 15,000 acres.

Another fire, the Eaton Fire, east of Los Angeles near Pasadena, has also grown rapidly since it broke out Tuesday night, covering more than 10,000 acres as of Wednesday morning local time.

Firefighters battle the Eaton Fire next to a completely destroyed home on Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, California. (Photo courtesy of AP, not republished)

The Hurst Fire, in Sylmar in the San Fernando Valley northwest of Los Angeles, is also growing. Multiple fires burning out of control are making rescue efforts difficult due to a lack of personnel. “There are not enough firefighters in LA County to tackle four separate fires of this size,” a fire official said.

Harris's home and many celebrities affected

Fires ripped through a posh Los Angeles waterfront neighborhood overnight, forcing Hollywood celebrities to evacuate by car and on foot. Vice President Kamala Harris's home was also affected and evacuated, even though she is in Washington, DC.

Jamie Lee Curtis, Mandy Moore, Maria Shriver and many other celebrities are among the tens of thousands of people forced to evacuate their homes to escape the out-of-control wildfires burning across Los Angeles.

“It’s heartbreaking, devastating, unbelievable,” Shriver, a journalist and former first lady of California when she was married to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, wrote on X on Wednesday. “Everything is gone. Our neighborhoods, our restaurants.”

Thick smoke from wildfires blankets downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (Photo courtesy of AP, not for re-release)

Shaun Tate, 45, said he fled his home in Altadena, a suburb of Los Angeles, at 4:15 a.m. when he saw flames coming toward his house. "I came out because I heard something flying off the roof," Tate said at an evacuation center in Pasadena.

“We loaded up the SUV and drove down here,” he said. “I decided to keep my laptop, my diabetes medication and some food.” Officials warned that gusty winds were expected to persist throughout the day.

“We are not out of the woods yet as strong winds continue to blow through the city and county today,” said Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley.

Skies over Los Angeles turned red in some areas and were blanketed in thick smoke. As the fire spread and residents began to evacuate after it broke out on Tuesday, roads were so congested that some people abandoned their cars to escape the flames.

Hundreds of thousands of households without power

Nearly all of the statewide power outages were in Southern California, primarily in Los Angeles, according to PowerOutage.us. Data showed about 400,000 homes and businesses in Southern California were without power on Wednesday.

Wildfires ravage the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, U.S. on January 8, 2025. (Photo courtesy of AP, not for re-release)

Meanwhile, utility company Southern California Edison has cut power to more than 169,000 homes and businesses, or more than 3% of its 5 million customers, across six counties in California. The company has sent notices to 8.5% of its customers that they are under consideration for additional power shutoffs.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Tuesday. President Joe Biden planned to visit a fire station in Santa Monica to hear from fire officials on Wednesday, the White House said.

President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office in two weeks, blamed Newsom's environmental policies for the disaster in a post on his Truth Social website.

Before the fire started, the National Weather Service issued its highest warning of extreme wildfire conditions for much of Los Angeles County from Tuesday through Thursday. With low humidity and dry vegetation due to lack of rain, conditions were “near the worst possible for wildfires,” the agency said.

Climate scientists say the Los Angeles area should always be prepared for fires in the fall, when seasonal winds hit the region after back-to-back wet winters that create more grass and vegetation that turns to fuel during the hot summers.

Hoang Huy (according to WH, Reuters, CNN)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/chay-rung-o-california-nhieu-nguoi-noi-tieng-hollywood-thao-chay-thiet-hai-rat-khung-khiep-post329623.html