State of emergency declared in Los Angeles, threatened by several fires

The spread of these fires was aggravated by the heat wave that hit the region.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and surrounding counties Wednesday as wildfires threaten the megacity and have already destroyed dozens of homes. “has declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties to fight the Bridge Fire and in Orange and Riverside counties to fight the Airport Fire.”according to a statement released Wednesday.

THE “Bridge Fire”one of three wildfires raging near the second largest city in the United States, has already destroyed dozens of homes and razed nearly 20,000 hectares in the Los Angeles hills in 24 hours.

North of the Californian megalopolis, residents of the towns of Wrightwood and Mt Baldy were ordered to evacuate their homes. At least 33 homes and several cabins were destroyed by the fire, which also swept through a ski resort, according to authorities. The fire, which broke out on Sunday, had already devoured 1,600 hectares of land on Tuesday, a figure that had increased tenfold to 20,000 hectares on Wednesday.

To the northeast of the megacity, another fire, the “Line Fire” razed 14,000 hectares. Residents of mountain villages were asked to evacuate their homes while several roads were blocked. A 30-year-old man suspected of starting the fire was arrested on Tuesday, according to court documents. More than 5,700 people were mobilized to fight the three fires.

Southeast of Los Angeles, a third disaster, the“Airport Fire” continued to rage on Wednesday. The fire has so far razed more than 8,900 hectares. According to local firefighters, seven people were injured in the blaze on Monday.

The spread of the fires has been exacerbated by a heatwave in the region, with temperatures soaring above 43 degrees Celsius in some places in recent days. However, temperatures began to drop on Wednesday.