Thousands flee as winds drive wildfires to Los Angeles Climate crisis news

Some frightened residents were forced to abandon their cars and flee on foot from the rapidly growing fire.

Tens of thousands of people were forced to flee parts of Los Angeles due to strong winds that battered the area Rapid growth of forest fires About the city of Western United States.

More than 30,000 people were evacuated Tuesday as high winds helped fuel wildfires in the coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades. Other fires later threatened other areas around Southern California.

Fearful residents left their cars on one of the only roads in and out of the upscale Pacific Palisades area, fleeing on foot from the nearly 3,000-acre (1,200-hectare) blaze that swept through an area filled with multi-million-dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains. .

Firefighters used bulldozers to push dozens of vehicles to one side, leaving many collapsed with alarms sounding, to make room for emergency vehicles.

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Christine Crowley said that despite the chaotic evacuation, there were no immediate reports of deaths.

A fire official told KTLA television that several people were injured, some with burns to their faces and hands. One firefighter reportedly suffered a head injury.

Hundreds of firefighters swept the area, attacking the flames from the ground and air, while crews worked across steep terrain to thin out vegetation and create firebreaks.

“We are not out of danger,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at an afternoon news conference.

A second fire broke out about 30 miles (50 kilometers) inland near Pasadena, and doubled in size to 400 acres (162 hectares) within a few hours, according to Cal Fire.

Nearly 100 seniors were evacuated from the city’s nursing home, according to CBS News.

Videos and photos showed elderly people, many in wheelchairs and on stretchers, crowding a smoke- and wind-filled parking lot with fire trucks and ambulances in attendance.

A third fire prompted evacuation orders in the San Fernando Valley, northwest of Los Angeles, fire officials said.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said President Joe Biden has approved federal aid to help firefighters respond.