By Max Baron
California is currently in imminent danger with the persistence of raging wildfires that are destroying the city of Los Angeles. Homes, schools and other buildings have been absolutely demolished, with at least 10 deaths that have been documented. The Palisades and Eaton fires are devastating Southern California and are close to 0% contained. The Palisades fire, which grew out of a brush fire, is currently the largest wildfire in the region.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has been providing updates for California citizens, which include evacuation warnings and orders for certain areas of Southern California. Several of America’s most famous celebrities have even shared photographs via social media of their homes engulfed in flames, encouraging people to try and leave at-risk regions of the state.
Ongoing winds in certain regions of dry California aid in the persistence and spread of these fires, such as the Palisade Fire which originated near the Pacific Palisades last Tuesday morning. The Los Angeles County Fire Department is doing all they can to combat the fires, but they have urged citizens to strictly follow the evacuation orders. Wildfires are extremely unpredictable and challenging to control, making it more vital that people leave areas that might be affected.
Navy Minkoff, an Irvington student, stresses the widespread effects of these fires explaining, “I have friends in the areas of the fires. They’ve had to completely evacuate and some of their homes have been destroyed.” The fires are moving so rapidly that people lack sufficient time to escape before the fires reach them. Some describe the current state of Los Angeles as somewhat of an apocalyptic scene.
In total, more than 35,000 acres of land have been destroyed by the fires and authorities are sadly expecting the death toll to continue rising. It is important that we as a country take steps to support California citizens during this difficult and historical event for them.
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