Los Angeles
Much of California was on high alert Friday as wind-driven wildfires tore through the state´s south, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and destroying multiple structures and homes.
Fire officials said an 89-year-old woman died in Calimesa, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles, when fire swept through a trailer park overnight after the driver of a garbage truck that caught fire dumped his burning load nearby.
Another man in his 50s died Thursday night from cardiac arrest as he spoke with firefighters battling the so-called Saddleridge brush fire in the San Fernando Valley, about 20 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, fire officials said.
That fire grew from 60 acres to 7,500 by midday, prompting evacuation orders for more than 100,000 people.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas said the blaze that started late Thursday in the city of Sylmar was being fueled by dry conditions and high winds known as the Santa Ana winds. “This is a very dynamic fire, Terrazas told a news conference. “Do not wait to leave,” he urged residents. “If we ask you to evacuate, please evacuate.”He said some 1,000 firefighters were fighting the blaze that was 13 percent contained by early afternoon. — AFP
