Residents of the Pacific Palisades area, northwest of Los Angeles, are living through a fire inferno as the front has extended to an area of 29.000 acres and 30.000 people have already been evacuated from their homes.
The authorities, in fact, warn that the worst "may be ahead of us" as further strengthening of the winds is expected, which are already blowing at a speed of up to 160 km/h in some areas.
According to eyewitnesses, some houses have already been charred in this extremely expensive area, which is full of vacation homes worth several million dollars each, some in steep canyons.
Actor James Woods shared several videos on his X account as Tuesday's wildfires in California hit close to home.
"Two houses from us..." Woods posted with a video of his neighbor's house in Los Angeles on fire. Woods said he has evacuated the area and is safe, and praised the Los Angeles Fire and Police Department for "doing such a good job."
Authorities ordered the evacuation of a large residential area, which includes Malibu, and which extends to the Pacific Ocean, while they gave instructions for the escape routes of the residents. More than 100 firefighters and other personnel were battling the blaze.
The situation is exacerbated by dry winds that forecasters say are the strongest since 2011 and are affecting an area covered in dry vegetation that acts as the perfect fuel for wildfires.
California's winter rains can act as a protective force against wildfires, wetting vegetation so it doesn't catch fire as easily. But that just didn't happen this year.
At the same time, California's winter rains have died down as the southern part of the state hasn't seen more than 0,25cm of rain since early May.
As a result, much of the region is in moderate drought conditions, according to the US Drought Observatory, turning the area around Los Angeles into a furnace.
Source: protothema.gr