TO Los Angelesin Californiait was declared state of emergency for a huge forest fire developed on the hills around 7.30pm Italian time (10.30am local time) yesterday 7 January 2025, which has already burned over 1200 hectares and has now reached the buildings. It is particularly at risk Pacific Palisadesthe affluent oceanfront neighborhood west of Los Angeles where many celebrities reside, but there are other neighborhoods involved as well. Fueling the fire are thedryness of the soil hey strong windswhich surpass the 80 km/h and which make the flames very difficult to control as well as making the maneuvering of firefighting aircraft difficult. Because of this over 30,000 residents of Pacific Palisades were evacuated. The scenario is apocalyptic, between fleeing cars and clouds of ash carried by the wind.
The situation in Los Angeles following the fire
The fire broke out on the hills overlooking the ocean around 10.30am on Tuesday 7 January 2025 (local time). The flames spread very quickly until they reached the homes of Pacific Palisades, including the villas of Hollywood stars (they are currently over 13,000 buildings threatened). Over 1200 hectares they have already been destroyed and the flames continue to blaze fueled by particularly unfavorable weather conditions, with strong winds exceeding 80 km/h. These circumstances make the intervention of the firefighters very difficult: even, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department, at the moment containment of the fire would be zeroalthough firefighting planes are also in action.
The very critical situation led the governor of California to declare it state of emergency and to prepare theevacuation of residents of Pacific Palisades. The inhabitants are leaving the city in a chaotic manner, clogging the Pacific Coast Highway, the highway that runs north-south along the Pacific coast of California. In the meantime, around 200,000 users in the city are without electricity and two more fires they involved Altadenain eastern Los Angeles County, and Sylmarthe northernmost neighborhood of the metropolis, for which another evacuation order was issued. No injuries have been reported so far, but many houses have already caught fire. The column of smoke is so high that it is visible even from 10 km away.
The causes of the fire and forecasts of its evolution
Most of the most destructive wildfires to hit California have occurred in the last twenty years. The main cause is the climate changewhich in these areas has determined conditions of increasingly prolonged and intense drought. Dry soil favors the spread of fires, not only in the summer season, but also in winter. In fact, even in this period, fires in California are becoming increasingly common. In this case a decisive role in the spread of the flames was that of wind. Winds are expected to continue to blow at even higher speeds even in the next few hours, or even days, putting the rescue efforts to the test. Until the weather conditions improve the flames will continue to spreadsays the Los Angeles County Fire Chief. These events, in addition to putting human lives and buildings at risk and compromising ecosystems, can also constitute a problem for the population who live at a certain distance but who can be reached by the particulate matter produced by the fire.
