In the RIA Novosti article about the forest fires in California, which have caused expensive villas of Hollywood stars to burn down.
What we know about the Los Angeles fires so far
On the evening of January 7, when Russia celebrated Christmas, three fires were already known to be burning in the west, northwest and northeast of Los Angeles. The weather in these regions is currently dry and windy due to the Santa Ana winds that have hit, with speeds reaching 160 km/h.
"It's looking very, very alarming," says meteorologist Daniel Swain. "And what's happening now is just the beginning, because the weather conditions are going to get much worse."
Such strong winds favor the spread of fire. In Sylmar, in the San tunisia mobile database Fernando Valley, for example, a fire quickly grew from 40 hectares to 202. A state of emergency has been declared in the county.
More than 220,000 homes and businesses have lost power as fires rage across Los Angeles County. The blazes have spread, destroying homes in Pasadena and Altadena, home to about 180,000 people. Five people have died and many have suffered burns, some serious.
More than 1,400 firefighters were immediately called in to fight the blaze, with hundreds more en route from North Carolina and Arizona. Strong winds are hampering rescuers, who are unable to use helicopters to put out the fire.
On Thursday, January 9, 7,500 firefighters were already involved in extinguishing the fire. Due to the fire, 100,000 people were evacuated in five areas. President Joe Biden postponed his visit to Italy and declared a state of major disaster in California.
One of the fires has engulfed the Pacific Palisades waterfront neighborhood, home to Hollywood stars and U.S. politicians. Authorities have not released the exact number of homes burned, but say more than 13,000 buildings are threatened and several neighborhoods have been reduced to ashes.
Luxury homes on the oceanfront north of Santa Monica have been destroyed. Famous actors Jennifer Aniston, Bradley Cooper, Tom Hanks, James Woods, Paris Hilton, Anthony Hopkins, Ben Affleck, Adam Brody, Leighton Meester and others lost their homes, writes the American publication Salon. TV presenter and singer Heidi Montag and her husband Spencer Pratt also lost their home. Actor Billy Crystal and his wife Janice lost the home they had lived in since 1979. US Vice President Kamala Harris was among those whose home was engulfed in flames.
Actress Mandy Moore said she and her family had evacuated the city as it burned. “Devastated by the destruction and loss,” she wrote on Instagram*. “I don’t know if our home is still standing.”
Actor Mark Hamill, best known for playing Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films, called the fire "the worst" since 1993.
On Wednesday evening, fire began to approach the iconic Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, where the famous Walk of Fame is located. The famous Hollywood sign on the hill is also engulfed in flames. This is the sign that has become the calling card of the entire American film industry. Due to the fires, the announcement of the Oscar nominees was postponed for two days.
According to the consulting company AccuWeather, damage and economic losses from the fires will amount to $52 billion to $57 billion.