Due to a combustion of high winds and differing temperatures across the last few weeks, Los Angeles, CA has been experiencing extremely destructive fires across its coastal region and the whole county since erupting on Jan. 7.
These fires are not only destroying land, burning up coastal hills and terrain but as well, buildings and even more devastatingly, residents. According to the L.A Times, “…five people have died, more than 2,000 structures have burned and at least 130,000 residents are under evacuation orders because of the wildfires burning across L.A County.”
And not only are immediate towns affected by fires, but the whole of L.A is entranced in a musty perfume and smoky sky, especially those who have to commute through this spooky haze.
Local L.A resident and nurse, Allison Kendrick (relation to a Highlands High school junior), though not directly in the fire zone, she said that smoke is definitely noticeable in the air, and even impairs vision. “The air is smoky in Santa Monica, and there is ash flying in the air all around.”
And despite being clear of these raging fires, she knows some that aren’t so lucky.
“One of my nurse friends who lives in the palisades lost her entire home, she posted pictures of it burned to the ground…I also know someone who had to evacuate her home in the Hollywood Hills area…it’s so devastating,” said Kendrick.
As these burn numbers continue to grow, firefighters and those aiding them are struggling to tame the roaring flames due to one key element.
“It was specifically the winds that made this fire so untamable, said L.A. Fire Chief, Anthony Marrone, as he called it “devil winds” that engulfed everything in flames, spreading fire without control to unknown places and “hurled embers far ahead of the flames, like a snowfall from hell.”
He said that this is wh ere the difficulty lies in trying to control such a beast, predicting where these embers may fly next, the wind patterns ahead of this storm of ash.
Until then, residents can stay away from hazardous power lines and fragile trees, wear long-sleeved shirts, cottons materials and most importantly stay aware and evacuate if they are in the growing fire zones, according to the USDA.
