President Joe Biden was briefed by local law enforcement and fire officials on Wednesday morning during his visit to Los Angeles about three wildfires that had spread across more than 20,000 acres due to strong winds, resulting in two fatalities and several injuries.
After the three fires forced mandatory evacuations and entirely destroyed over 1,100 buildings, including many residences, more than 80,000 people were forced to leave their homes. However, officials have cautioned that the fight for firefighters is far from finished, as predictions of stronger winds might make their work even more difficult and spread the fire even farther.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell told President Biden, “What we saw here in the last 24 hours is unprecedented,” during a briefing at a Santa Monica fire station on Wednesday. Biden and Governor Gavin Newsom spoke with local fire authorities.
“I’ve never seen anything like this fires driven by the type of winds that we saw, up to 100 miles per hour,” McDonnell stated.
Along with other weather conditions that increase the likelihood of wildfires starting and spreading quickly, forecasters warned of a “life-threatening and destructive” windstorm that will bring damaging gusts to parts of Southern California. As authorities prepared for the hazardous conditions, hundreds of firemen were dispatched from Northern California and other Southland counties.
All three large wildfires have received federal emergency aid. As of Wednesday at noon, the Hurst Fire had burnt 500 acres in the San Fernando Valley, while the other two fires had ripped across a far greater area and caused extensive destruction, killing two people and injuring numerous others.
Since it started soon after 6 p.m. Tuesday, the Eaton Fire in northeast Los Angeles County has forced the evacuation of almost 50,000 residents from cities like Pasadena and Altadena and claimed two lives. As the fire spread, some 37,000 residents of the wealthy coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, located 40 miles distant in west Los Angeles, were forced to leave their homes.
The two wildfires that are located on opposing sides of Los Angeles County, which spans 4,000 square miles, grew significantly in size on Wednesday. The Palisades Fire had burned 11,800 acres by noon, while the Eaton Fire had spread to 10,600 acres.
“We’re doing everything we can to protect life first and property next,” Kristin Crowley, the chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department, stated when she briefed President Biden.
At least 1,000 buildings were destroyed in the Palisades Fire, while 100 more were completely destroyed in the Eaton Fire.
According to the National Weather Service, this week’s windstorm is perhaps the worst Southern California has experienced since 2011, when a storm caused over 400,000 people to lose power and caused $40 million in damage in Los Angeles County.
According to authorities, firefighters are being dispatched from Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington in addition to other regions of California. Biden’s administration “will do everything it can to support” the emergency response efforts, according to a statement issued by the White House on Tuesday.
During the meeting on Wednesday, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said Biden, “Firefighters from those regions are on their way down to Los Angeles County right now to assist us,”
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