Raging Flames in California: Death Toll Climbs Amid Chaos
In California, the city’s medical examiner announced that at least 24 lives have been lost as intense wildfires continued ravaging the Los Angeles area on Sunday.
Sixteen deaths are mainly because of the Eaton Fire near Pasadena. In addition, there are eight other deaths linked to the Palisades Fire in the district of Pacific Palisades.
Though this part of the world has been visited by major fires since Tuesday, these two have brought the most havoc.
Also, officials feared the death toll would rise as fire services might take days before they could reach all affected areas.
Firefighters braced themselves for gusts of winds that could be worse within a few days. What came most concerning, officials said, is that it would be, if not the worst, among the worst natural disasters ever to strike the U.S.
The wind speeds of the U.S. weather service for Sunday would go up to 110 kilometres per hour and, joined with dry vegetation, they provide the rapid and sometimes unpredictable spread of existing and new fires.
The “critical fire weather” warning went out to Cal Fire and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection until the end of this Wednesday.
“Life-threatening winds and dangerously low humidity are forecast for much of Southern California-from Ventura to San Diego-creating a significant risk of rapid fire spread,” stated the department on X.
They said, “This will increase fire activity; keep people from cutting grass, park their vehicles in dry grass and all campfires put out.”
“According to Cal fire officials, almost 12,300 structures are either destroyed or damaged. Over 163 square miles since Tuesday have burned that leave the nearly equivalent land area as that of Washington, D.C.”
California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom, told the NBC broadcaster that the wildfires would be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.
Naijaeyes Reports.
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