The devastating wildfires in Los Angeles are the leading topic in today's world press. The confirmed death toll in the wildfires raging for the fourth day in Los Angeles has risen to 10 people, notes the "Wall Street Journal", writes BTA.
At least five fires are raging simultaneously around the second largest city in the US, destroying parts of the most populous county in America and forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes as firefighters continue to struggle to control the flames.
The British newspaper "Guardian" also draws attention to the rising death toll from the Los Angeles wildfires, which has risen to ten, citing the Los Angeles County medical examiner, who said all victims were still being identified.
Even in a state accustomed to severe wildfires, the rapid wave of wildfires that tore through the Los Angeles area was shocking and prompted mass evacuations that left charred suburban homes in their wake, the newspaper said.
Several large fires are sweeping Los Angeles, including one raging in the western Pacific Palisades and another in the eastern mountains above Pasadena County. There have been five deaths there alone, the newspaper said. "Guardian".
The newspaper quoted California Governor Gavin Newsom as calling the situation "unprecedented" and ordered thousands of firefighters to help extinguish the flames. The fires turned the sky an ominous orange, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people, and sent residents fleeing, causing roads to become congested. The fires have destroyed dozens of homes, including those of Hollywood movie stars in Malibu, the newspaper reported. "Guardian".
While fires are nothing new to California, several factors have helped fan the flames, leading to "one of the most significant fire outbreaks in history", said Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist at the US National Weather Service in Los Angeles, who spoke of an impending "catastrophe". Cohen warned: "I beg everyone: if you get an evacuation order, take it seriously. Your life depends on it". The British newspaper notes that the disaster is largely due to the Santa Ana winds, the drought and the hot planet, which have contributed to the exacerbation of the fires in California.
The French newspaper "Le Monde" also tries to analyze the cause of the forest fires in Los Angeles, saying that mainly at the root of the so-called "Santa Ana winds" , also known as "devil winds". Typical of Californian autumn and winter, they blow from the mountains, gain speed and reach the coast, bringing warm and dry air. But this week they have reached an intensity not seen since 2011, according to meteorologists. They are "hurricane force", said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. On Wednesday, January 8, wind gusts reached 160 kilometers per hour, the newspaper reports.
Why are fires happening in the middle of winter, asks "Monde".
Climate change is extending the fire season, which now starts earlier and ends later, while expanding the risk zones to higher latitudes and altitudes. The number of disasters is also increasing, with fires becoming more frequent, more intense and longer lasting, the newspaper commented.
Even for a region that is unfortunately accustomed to monstrous fires, the out-of-control wildfires raging in Los Angeles are shocking. More than 180,000 residents have been instructed to evacuate their homes, and at least five major fires have devastated thousands of hectares near the heart of the second largest city in the United States and continue to grow rapidly. The flames, which have caused scenes of chaos, have caused ten deaths and have destroyed at least 2,000 homes and buildings, including those of Hollywood movie stars. With the destruction of about 100 luxury homes, the fire is believed to be the most expensive in terms of damage ever recorded in California, the newspaper noted. "Le Monde".
But the exceptional nature of the fires lies above all in their seasonality - in the middle of winter, which is a rare occurrence in California. The French newspaper also quoted California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, as saying that all the ingredients were there for these "unprecedented fires in Los Angeles".
The British newspaper "Independent" commented that the death toll continues to rise, while there are more than 7,500 firefighters in California and two of the most ferocious fires are at zero containment level. Fast-moving wildfires continue to grow on the outskirts of Los Angeles, leaving thousands of firefighters fighting desperately to extinguish the flames.
The newspaper quoted authorities as saying that while progress has been made on the "Sunset", "Woodley", "Hearst" and "Sunswept" fires, the "extreme behavior of the fires" and wind gusts now reaching 60 miles per hour continue to challenge firefighters' efforts.
Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna said that the fire-ravaged neighborhoods in West Los Angeles "look like a bomb went off".
Local police said that an arson suspect was also arrested early last night for allegedly trying to start a fire in "Woodland Hills" near the latest fire in the area, the "Kenneth" fire. Neighborhood residents reportedly held the man until police arrived.
The Pacific Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive natural disasters the city has ever seen, is only 6 percent contained. The blaze has burned at least 19,978 acres (80 square kilometers), while the Eaton Fire, which is located in Altadena and Pasadena, has burned about 13,690 acres (55 square kilometers).
The new Kennett Fire broke out north of the Pacific Palisades Fire yesterday afternoon, threatening homes near the Calabasas and Hidden Hills areas. Authorities believe the fire was deliberately set, and Los Angeles police have one suspect in custody.
The causes of all the wildfires are under active investigation, but thousands of businesses and other buildings have been destroyed, notes the "Independent" newspaper.
The newspaper also points out that numerous residents of the state of California have been left without power since yesterday, with about 115,895 outages in Los Angeles County and another 32,725 in neighboring San Bernardino County, according to the tracking site PowerOutage.us.
The American newspaper "The Washington Post" draws attention to another challenge facing firefighters in Los Angeles. Why did fire hydrants run dry during the Los Angeles wildfires, the newspaper asks, noting that water experts have dismissed claims by US President-elect Donald Trump that California's water policy is to blame for the run-down hydrants. But Los Angeles is also unprepared for the era of urban fires, the American newspaper comments.
Another American newspaper, the "Los Angeles Times", addresses the same problem, noting that teams battling the rapidly spreading fires in the Los Angeles area have repeatedly been hampered by low water pressure and dry fire hydrants. The problems exposed vulnerabilities in the city's water systems, which experts say are not designed to handle fires of this magnitude, the newspaper said.
The water system that supplies neighborhoods simply doesn't have the capacity to deliver such large volumes of water for several hours, said Martin Adams, former general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
"The system was never designed to fight a wildfire that then engulfs an entire neighborhood," Adams said in an interview with the newspaper. "Los Angeles Times".
Limitations on local water systems complicated firefighting efforts in "Pacific Palisades", where dozens of fire hydrants were left with little or no water, and in Altadena and Pasadena, served by different utilities and where firefighters also said they were hampered by low water pressure.
The local water system in the "Pacific Palisades" area is designed to provide enough gallons of water per minute to fight a house fire or a fire in an apartment or commercial building, Adams said. "And all of a sudden you have a huge fire that's spread across the entire neighborhood and you have 10 times as many fire departments, all pulling water out of the system at once," he added.
The firefighting effort put a huge strain on the area's water system and "strained the system to its limits," with water demands reaching four times their normal levels for 15 hours, said Janice Quinones, CEO and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. She said the hydrants rely on three large water tanks, each holding about 1 million gallons (nearly 4 million liters), the Los Angeles Times reported. Hydrants worked at lower elevations, but in hillier areas like the Palisades Highlands, where reservoirs store water that flows by gravity to the neighborhoods below, they have dried up.
A curious emphasis on the wildfires is made by the entertainment industry, Hollywood news and media website "Deadline Hollywood", which notes that late-night talk show hosts are praising emergency responders in Los Angeles while harshly criticizing Trump's statement: "No firefighter should ever buy a beer or order a smoothie again." He is referring to the fact that when there is no fire crisis, firefighters like to drink beer or a smoothie at local restaurants.
"Deadline Hollywood" quotes host Seth Meyers, who praised the Los Angeles firefighters and rescue workers who are working around the clock to extinguish the devastating fires in the city.
"The images are surreal. The losses are incalculable, but in the face of that loss, friends, neighbors, and strangers are coming together to help each other. The courage of the firefighters and first responders is unparalleled. No firefighter should have to pay more for a beer or a smoothie in Los Angeles, ever again. The kindness, compassion, resourcefulness, and solidarity that was shown was simply breathtaking and inspiring,” he added.
But then Myers turns to a regular enemy of his: Donald Trump. The NBC host harshly criticized the former, and soon-to-be current, president for his response to the tragedy, which he blamed on California Governor Gavin Newsom over a fabricated document, the Water Restoration Proclamation, as well as the fish issue.
"Trump is lying about water, this time about the water that brave firefighters are using to fight wildfires," Myers said. "Firefighters are doing brave work. And then along comes the president-elect, who has decided to step in, not to help, but to spread nonsense that will only make emergency response more difficult," the popular TV host added.
On another high-profile evening show, "The Daily Show", host Desi Lydick also weighed in on Trump's response to the tragedy that has affected hundreds of thousands of people in Southern California, notes "Deadline Hollywood".
"The story that is dominating the news right now is the wildfires in Los Angeles. There are so many challenges as LA officials try to contain these fires, such as water shortages and labor shortages, but there is one thing we have an endless supply of: good old-fashioned, American-made, guilt tripping," she said. "Of course, one of the leading manufacturers of accusations in the country is Donald Trump", the popular host concluded.
Last night on "The Late Show", Stephen Colbert detailed resources that people can use to help those affected, commented "Deadline Hollywood".
"We know that the people of Los Angeles are resourceful and kind and do everything they can to help each other, and we want to send our love and concern to all the residents of Los Angeles who are facing what is described as the most destructive fire in the city's history," the television host noted.