According to a fire official, the wildfire in Hollywood Hills is rapidly spreading. This comes after a mandatory evacuation order was issued in the area due to the wildfires in Los Angeles.
California fire chief David Acuna informed the BBC that the fires have made no progress in containment due to the presence of strong winds and dry weather conditions.
“The wind has been blowing consistently at speeds of 60-100mph (95-160km/h) since yesterday morning,” Acuna mentioned. “It actually blew even stronger last night.”
There are currently five active fires in Los Angeles, resulting in the tragic loss of five lives.
According to Acuna, even though the wind speeds have decreased to approximately 30mph, they are still considered significant and pose a great danger due to the presence of numerous open areas.
Over 130,000 individuals have already been forced to evacuate, with several notable figures like Paris Hilton and Billy Crystal losing their homes in the devastating fires.
On Tuesday, a fire ignited in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, near Malibu, triggering a series of other fires in the northern parts of the city.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), as of 20:15 local time (04:00 GMT), four fires in the Palisades, Pasadena, Sylmar, and Hollywood Hills regions have spread over an area of more than 27,000 acres (42 square miles; 109 square kilometers). These fires remain uncontained.
In the Acton area, firefighters have made partial containment of one fire, while two other fires have been fully contained.
The fire started in the Hollywood Hills, a residential neighborhood that overlooks the iconic Hollywood area of the city. It broke out at approximately 6:00 PM local time on Wednesday.
In less than two hours, thick smoke covered much of the heart of Hollywood, obscuring the tops of the palm trees that line its streets.
People were using sweatshirts to cover their faces in order to help themselves breathe, while some, who were clearly caught off guard by the fire, were only wearing pyjamas. A lot of them were carrying bags and suitcases and were talking on their phones, making plans for where to go.
The vicinity of the fire, including Hollywood Boulevard, renowned for the Hollywood Walk of Fame, experienced heavy traffic with gridlocked roads. Desperate to escape the area, some individuals resorted to driving on the opposite side of the road.
Anna Waldman, a resident of the area, recounted to the BBC that as she stepped out to take her dog for a walk, she immediately detected the scent of smoke permeating the air.
She returned indoors and glanced out of her back windows, only to witness a raging fire spreading rapidly across the Hollywood Hills. She watched in awe as the flames approached dangerously close to her own residence, mere blocks away.
She gathered her belongings, including food, clothes, blankets, and provisions for her three small dogs.
“I’m so exhausted,” she exclaimed, as she pulled down her face mask in disbelief.
Makayla Jackson, a 26-year-old woman, and her two-year-old son, Ramari, were forced to leave a homeless shelter that was at risk of catching fire. Now, they found themselves on the street, eagerly awaiting transportation to a nearby high school where assistance was being provided to those in need.
“They instructed us to evacuate immediately,” she recalled.
Anna Waldman, in an interview with the BBC, shared her experience of having to evacuate her home along with her three beloved dogs.
According to the LA Times, reports indicate that by Wednesday night, Sunset Boulevard, the renowned strip in West Hollywood, was left in ruins.
According to the newspaper, long-time residents of the area shared that the banks, cafes, and supermarkets they had been visiting for years were completely decimated.
Michael Payton, the store director of the Erewhon supermarket chain, expressed that the shop, renowned for being frequented by Los Angeles A-listers, managed to stay afloat despite the devastation that occurred in the area.
In an interview with the newspaper, he expressed the extent of the damage, stating, “The entire Palisades has been devastated. The entire town has been completely destroyed.”
Firefighters battling the fires have faced water shortages, leading them to rely on alternative sources such as swimming pools and ponds.
According to officials, three individual tanks, each holding one million gallons of water, were already filled before the fires broke out. However, due to the elevated locations of the fires, the water was unable to flow rapidly enough to reach the hydrants in the affected areas.
The Palisades blaze is the most destructive fire in the history of the city. The city’s systems are not equipped for fighting wildfires as they are primarily designed for urban use.
