In Los Angeles, one of the most serious fires in the history of the city is currently underway, which has already led to the death of 16 people and evacuations of more than 180,000 inhabitants. Fires covering large areas of the California coast have serious consequences for both locals and city cultural heritage. The most threat was the elite areas of Brentwood and Bel-Air, as well as important cultural objects, including the Hetty Center Art Gallery and the Campus of the University of California.
The fire, which began on January 8, continues to spread through dry and windy weather, which creates favorable conditions for its development. Initially, it became known that the fire could be caused by a break in power lines - due to the strong wind, there could be a malfunction in the electrical network. The director of local energy company Whisker Labs Bob Marshall stated that several hours before the start of the ignition were recorded reports of problems with the power grid, including touching tree branches to wires. These actions could create sparks that caused a large -scale fire. Currently, the fire is moving in the direction of elite areas, threatening the destruction of rich residential buildings, as well as cultural objects of the city. However, the greatest concern is the approach of the flames to the Hetty Center, one of the largest US art museums. It is known that the museum building has a fire -resistant structure, but its safety is still in danger. In addition, fire can reach the University of California in Los Angeles. According to the latest reports from Los Angeles, the evacuation zone continues to expand. Firefighters and rescue services work on the verge of opportunities, as access to water for extinguishing fire is limited due to hydrants deficiency in some areas. The reason for this situation was the actions of some local landowners who violated the rules for the service of hydrants. The fire caused serious losses not only to ordinary citizens but also to many famous persons. Among those who were injured in the fire are actors Anthony Hopkins, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Aniston, as well as a number of other celebrities. Local authorities reported that some of the rich were trying to negotiate with firefighters and offered them financial assistance in exchange for the rescue of their estates. Meteorologists are forecasts, wind and dry weather will remain for several days, which will significantly complicate the work of rescue services. The Head of the Los Angeles Fire Service, Anthony Marron, warned that the threat of fire would remain high and the situation may worsen if additional measures are not taken.
Fires on the Pacific coast of the United States have become another reminder of the importance of readiness for natural disasters and the need to maintain proper infrastructure to combat such large -scale disasters.
