Los Angeles wildfires continue to rage on as authorities fear rise in death toll

Hundreds of rescue workers are scouring through the rubble in search of survivors as devastating wildfires take over the city of Los Angeles, California. On Thursday, tens of thousands of more residents were forced to flee as their neighbourhood was reduced to ashes. In the last two days, around 180,000 people had to evacuate their homes with the blazing fire killing 5 people as of now. However, the authorities fear that the death toll is most likely to increase.

According to The Guardian, the Eaton Gire near Pasadena has burned down between 4,000 to 5,000 structures including vehicles. Meanwhile, thousands of other structures in Pacific Palisades also witnessed the same fate. The Los Angeles country sheriff warned that the death toll is most likely to increase as rescue teams are being deployed across the city.

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As of now, the wildfires have burned more than 30,000 acres of land across the city. A spokesperson from the sheriff’s department told the Los Angeles Times that their work has been hindered by the treacherous conditions in the fire zones. Meanwhile, a new bushfire also started on Thursday afternoon, adding more worries to the problem.

 ‘A historic natural disaster’

The authorities maintained that while strong winds eased some challenges on Thursday, the wildfires are expected to strengthen in the evening and into the weekend, causing further panic in the city. “We’re facing a historic natural disaster. And I think that can’t be stated strong enough,” Kevin McGowan, the director of emergency management for Los Angeles County, told a press conference on Thursday.

Firefighters insisted that the destruction was unlike any they had seen in their decades-long careers and officials described the scenes as “apocalyptic”. Robert Luna, the LA county sheriff, said some areas “look like a bomb was dropped on them," while commenting on the latest satellite image, The Guardian reported. He asked people to remain patient throughout the challenging times. “Right now, frankly, we don’t know yet,” he remarked.

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In the Pacific Palisades, one firefighter estimated only about one out of every five homes had been spared in the charred canyons. Not only this, the homes of several high-profile celebrities like Anthony Hopkins, Billy Crystal and Eugene Levy, burned down to the ground. Another challenge the authorities are currently facing is the fact that the fire has strained the city’s water resources.

As they battled the blazes, firefighters struggled with reduced water pressure and fire hydrants that ran dry in some areas due to the increased demand. “Those erratic wind gusts were throwing embers for multiple miles ahead of the fire,” Chad Augustin, the Pasadena fire chief, told local reporters.

By Thursday morning, all evacuation orders for the wildfire in the Hollywood Hills area had been lifted, and officials expressed cautious optimism that the fire in that area was “under control”. “This firestorm is the big one,” the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, told a press conference after cutting short an official trip to Ghana to return to the city. It is pertinent to note that out of the five fires, the Palisades fire on the west side of Los Angeles had consumed the most territory.

With inputs from agencies.