Thousands flee homes near LA as wildfires rage
LOS ANGELES: More than 90,000 people fled their homes near Los Angeles as two fast-spreading and uncontained wildfires raged across more than 5,900ha, blocking key roadways and critically injuring two firefighters.
The larger Silverado Fire erupted early Monday morning in the foothills of Irvine, about 60km southeast of Los Angeles, and quickly spread, fuelled by dry conditions and erratic winds that prevented firefighting aircraft from flying.
“Firefighters continue to battle flames throughout the night on the Silverado Fire.
“More than 8,000 acres have burned but we have no reports of structures lost at this time,” Orange County Fire Authority said in a Facebook update Monday night.
A second fast-growing blaze in Yorba Linda, about 27km north of Irvine and dubbed the Blue Ridge
Fire, erupted on Monday afternoon and had already scorched more than 26.7ha, also forcing evacuations.
“It’s nuts – even inside the car, my eyes, my nose and my throat stung,” said Frederic Tournadre, a French man whose company in Irvine sent all its employees home.
The Silverado inferno quadrupled in size by afternoon, jumping a highway and covering the area with a huge plume of smoke and ash.
“We have emergency evacuation orders here in the city of Irvine that are impacting approximately 90,800 residents,” Shane Sherwood, a division chief at Orange County Fire Authority, told reporters.
The National Weather Service warned that the combination of low humidity, dry vegetation and strong winds had created “the most dangerous fire weather conditions” this year.
It said the region will remain under a red flag warning – signifying a high risk of wildfire – through yesterday evening.
“New fire ignitions in Los Angeles and Ventura counties will likely have very rapid fire growth, extreme fire behaviour, and long range spotting, resulting in a significant threat to life and property,” it added.