Gov. Jerry Brown of California has placed the city of Los Angeles under a state of emergency as it faces the worst L.A. Wildfire in history. The calamity, which is on its third day, has mainly affected the La Tuna Canyon but has spread to nearby cities like Glendale, Burbank, and Sunland-Tujunga.
'Largest wildfire in Los Angeles history'
According to Variety, as much as 5,900 acres have been affected by the L.A. wildfire. This translates to the evacuation of 1,400 people from 500 homes for their safety. So far, only three homes have been destroyed in Los Angeles though thankfully there was zero deaths and only four people to have been injured.
Around 1,200 of the evacuated people have started returning to their homes as at least 25 percent of the L.A. wildfire has already been contained, partly due to the lower temperatures and rain that happened on Sunday.
During the peak of the fires over the weekend, an eight-mile area of the 210 freeway was closed down to make way for the firefighters to address the problem. While the fire is slowly dying down Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti has cautioned that the worst may not be over due to the stronger than expected winds that may fan the flames further.
The wildfires' damages
The declaration of Gov. Jerry Brown was crucial to the economy of Los Angeles as the fire happened just a few miles away from the studio lots of Warner Bros., Universal, and Disney.
The declaration also made it easier for California to access state and federal funds to help in stopping the fires.
Additional help from other cities was deployed by Gov. Jerry Brown as the L.A. wildfire is too much even for the 1,000 local responders can handle. Four firefighters suffered minor burns and dehydration because of the heat and smoke.
The L.A. wildfire is not the only one affecting the western United States right now. In fact, both Washington state and Montana also have their own states of emergency announced due to this problem. Thousands of homeowners had to be evacuated so that they will be safe.
But the worst can be felt in California due to the current heatwave and strong winds the Golden State is experiencing.
Just at this point of the year alone, 6,023 fires have already damaged half a million acres not just in Los Angeles but also in other counties in California. It also does not help that California is just only recovering from the extreme drought it experienced since 2012.
