Tens of thousands of residents and vacationers have begun to leave
Much of California has been cordoned off as fire fronts rage uncontrollably in many places. The flames have dangerously approached the coastal resort of Malibu, which the American authorities ordered to be evacuated immediately by the residents.
Tens of thousands of residents and vacationers have already begun to leave the beautiful city of California, while the fire fronts have expanded to a large radius, despite the very large forces of the Fire and Civil Protection, as well as local agencies.
The big fire broke out on Thursday, in an area northwest of Los Angeles. Firefighters say there is an "imminent danger" to Malibu's 13.000 residents, which are surrounded on one side by mountains and on the other by the ocean.
Due to the strong winds and the extremely dry conditions, the fire swept parts of the city of Paradise (27.000 inhabitants), terrorizing the inhabitants with flames that reached even fifteen meters high.
The city of Chico (population 93.000) may be the next to be threatened by the blaze, which was expected to move westward, boosted by winds of up to 56 kilometers per hour, according to Darren Reed, head of the Butte County Fire Department.
Breaking: Cal fire captain says that thousands of structures have been destroyed and many people are dead from #Campfire in Butte County, California. The captain said that the town of Paradise has been wiped out from the fire. pic.twitter.com/g18CzAQiLg- PM Breaking News (MPMBreakingNews) November 9, 2018
"We have received reports of deaths. "These reports have not yet been verified," said County Sheriff Cory Honey.
California has already experienced one of the worst years in its history in terms of forest fires. The flames have already charred 2.516.100 acres in 2018, twice as much as in 2017 and almost three times the five-year average.
"The whole city is on fire," said Bob Van Camp, a Paradise resident who left on his motorcycle, speaking to a local television station. "We had to drive through the flames to get here," he added, along the road connecting the towns of Paradise and Chico.
LATEST: The #CampFire burning in Northern California has consumed at least 20,000 acres, officials say, as more mandatory evacuations are ordered.
Evacuation orders are in effect for Paradise, Magalia, Concow, Butte Creek Canyon and Butte Valley. https://t.co/quP3KEFuEv pic.twitter.com/L42DCgWmxD- ABC News (@ABC) November 9, 2018
As the city is on a slope and the escape routes are limited, traffic turned the roads into traps. Residents abandoned their cars and started running to escape the flames with their children or pets in their hands. A woman gave birth in the car in which she and her family were leaving, the local newspaper Enterprise-Record wrote.
The situation is "chaotic", it is "very bad fire", said Ryan Lambert, a traffic police officer.
Trying to evacuate paradise and there's a fire you have to drive through to get to safety. Trying to think good thoughts. pic.twitter.com/2d5XWfKQPT- Ry (@Mariahkeri_) November 8, 2018
The fire broke out early Thursday morning and engulfed 32.370 acres of land with incredible speed, forcing authorities to order the 27.000 residents of Paradise to evacuate immediately.
Authorities used a construction machine to remove abandoned cars from the road to Feder River Hospital to evacuate patients as the fire spread to an old ward and the roof of the emergency department, a Kohm official said. , Doug Titter. The hospital was then completely destroyed, said Mike Mangas, a spokesman for the company that manages it, Dignity Health, while a clinic, Paradise Immediate Care, was also destroyed, according to its owner, Brad Smith.
