LA's wildfires fuelled by high winds and drought - in pictures
euronews
·2-min read
LA's wildfires fuelled by high winds and drought - in pictures
Raging wildfires in Los Angeles have killed at least 11 people and destroyed hundreds of buildings. More than 100,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as fierce winds hampered firefighting efforts and fuelled the flames, which have burned uncontrollably since erupting on Tuesday.
By Friday, January 10, nearly 2,900 acres (1,200 hectares) had been scorched, and numerous buildings destroyed in the area between the beach towns of Santa Monica and Malibu, according to officials.
Striking images capturing destruction
Firefighters battle the Franklin Fire in Malibu, California - AP
The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles - The AP
Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 - AP Photo
A statue and other structures are burned as the Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles - Damian Dovarganes
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows homes in a neighbourhood after the Eaton Fire, in Altadena, Calif - Satellite image/Maxar Technologies
The devastation from the Palisades Fire is seen from the air in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles - AP Photo
Homeowners Sohrab Nafici, left, and Christine Meinders return to their fire-ravaged neighborhood in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire - Jae C. Hong/The AP
Rows of residences are burned to the ground in the aftermath of the fire - AP Photo
Resident Pauly Harter, right, pulls his son Gavin on a cart during a walk Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Altadena - AP Photo
Resident Pauly Harter, right, pulls his son Gavin on a cart during a walk Friday - Eric Thayer/AP
A person walks past damage from the Palisades Fire on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles - AP Photo
Cars are left charred inside a dealership in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 in Altadena, Calif - Jae C. Hong/AP
Luke Dexter kneels as he sifts through the remains of his father's fire-ravaged beach front property in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire on Friday - AP Photo
A person helps up Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, center, as he meets with victims of the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Friday, Jan. 10 - AP Photo
Hundreds of rescuers were searching through thick mud and debris to find survivors Wednesday after a rain-triggered landslide in Indonesia killed at least 19 people and left seven missing.In November, flooding triggered by intense rains in western Indonesia killed 27 people.
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6 struck southern Taiwan early Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, leaving 15 people with minor injuries.
Dangerous winds returned to Southern California on Tuesday as firefighters battled new fires amid dry conditions while two major blazes burned for a third week in the Los Angeles area.
A rare frigid storm charged through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast on Tuesday, blanketing New Orleans and Houston with snow that closed highways, grounded nearly all flights and canceled school for more than a million students more accustomed to hurricane dismissals than snow days. The storm prompted the first ever blizzard warnings for several coastal counties near the Texas-Louisiana border, and snowplows were at the ready in the Florida Panhandle. In the Texas capital, two people died in the cold weather, according to a statement from the city of Austin.
More than 220 million people across the United States are facing dangerous cold that will also open the door for a potentially historic and crippling winter storm that could deliver snow as far south as Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.
As the Eaton fire spread, many areas were notified of evacuation warnings and orders well in advance. In the heart of Altadena, where all 17 reported deaths occurred, evacuation orders came hours after fire did.
"I just wanted to recognize how beautiful it is, how well everyone has responded in that area," the singer said onstage at his Forget Tomorrow World Tour
Firefighters quickly extinguished several brush fires that erupted Monday in Southern California amid windy and dry conditions. The extreme fire weather is raising the risk of new wildfires like the two major blazes that started two weeks ago and are still burning in the Los Angeles area. Gusts could peak at 70 mph (113 kph) along the coast and 100 mph (160 kph) in the mountains and foothills during extreme fire weather that is expected to last through Tuesday.
Parched Southern California was forecast to face more dangerous winds on Wednesday but could get some badly needed rain this weekend, dampening the prospects of another round of deadly wildfires though even a small amount of precipitation could could create new challenges like toxic ash runoff. Los Angeles officials were preparing for that prospect even as a small number of residents were allowed to return to the devastated Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas and firefighters quickly controlled small blazes that broke out. Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order Tuesday to expedite cleanup efforts in burn areas and mitigate the environmental impacts of fire-related pollutants.
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, injuring 27 people, triggering landslides and causing ceilings of homes to cave in according to local authorities.The ceilings of several homes collapsed, while roads were blocked by falling rocks and landslides, the National Fire Agency said.
Indonesian rescuers retrieved two more bodies after they resumed their search Wednesday for people missing after floods and landslides on Indonesia’s main island of Java, bringing the death toll to 19. Waters from flooded rivers tore through nine villages in Pekalongan regency of Central Java province and landslides tumbled onto mountainside hamlets after the torrential rains Monday. Videos and photos released by National Search and Rescue Agency showed workers digging desperately in villages where roads and green-terraced rice fields were transformed into murky brown mud and villages were covered by thick mud, rocks and uprooted trees.
