Former Vice President Kamala Harris went to Los Angeles County Monday after President Donald Trump’s inauguration to assist with food distribution and to express gratitude to Altadena fire workers.
Almost two weeks ago, the Eaton Fire started to ravage the neighborhood and neighboring neighborhoods. It has destroyed slightly over 9,400 structures, making it the second most destructive wildfire in California history, and damage assessment teams are still completing surveys. Additionally, it has caused damage to almost 1,000 buildings.
Since the Griffith Park Fire in 1933, which claimed 29 lives, it is also the deadliest fire in LA County history.
After the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Fire quickly expanded along the coastal town of LA County because to strong Santa Ana winds that produced gusts of up to 100 mph, further taxing already limited firefighting resources.
Including data from local fire officials and U.S. Census Bureau statistics, an estimated 331,335 people were impacted by evacuation warnings due to the fires. For comparison, SoFi Stadium can accommodate 331,335 people three times over.
Rescue and recovery activities are ongoing, and tens of thousands of inhabitants are still out of their homes.
Containment around the two fires started to rise as the much-needed planes poured water and retardant when the winds subsided.
Harris’ visit coincides with the third “particularly dangerous situation” warning in as many months from the National Weather Service.
NWS incident meteorologist James White stated, “This is already the third Particularly Dangerous red flag warning issued in the month of January, which is ‘unprecedented’ for this area.”