Crews battle Los Angeles wildfire that forced evacuations
PTI, May 17, 2021, 8:34 AM IST
Los Angeles: A smoky wildfire churning through a Los Angeles canyon community gained strength Sunday as about a thousand residents remained under evacuation orders, authorities said.
Cooler weather early in the day gave firefighters a break, but by afternoon flames starting moving again in steep terrain where tinder-dry vegetation hasn’t burned in a half-century, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
”We’re definitely seeing increased fire activity,” said department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart.
No structures were damaged and no injuries were reported in the wildfire that broke out late Friday in the Santa Monica Mountains. It smoldered for much of Saturday before erupting in the afternoon.
A thousand or so residents of the Topanga Canyon area were ordered to evacuate their homes as flames raced along ridges, sending a huge plume of smoke and raining ash across surrounding neighbourhoods and the US 101 freeway to the north.
By midday Sunday the fire had charred about 5.1 square kilometers of brush and trees. There was no containment.
Los Angeles has seen very little rain in recent months, making for extremely parched conditions and high fire risk.
The cause of the fire near Topanga State Park has been deemed ”suspicious” and is under investigation, the fire department said.
There were reports of a possible arson suspect spotted in the area Saturday, but a search by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department didn’t find anyone, Stewart said.
Crews relied on aircraft making drops of water and retardant because ”the terrain is very steep and extremely difficult to navigate which hinders ground based firefighting operations,” a fire department statement said.
Topanga Canyon is a remote, wooded community with some ranch homes about 32 kilometers west of downtown Los Angeles, on the border with Malibu.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
2 Indian restaurants in Colorado duped investors of USD 380K: Officials
WATCH: 5 runaway military horses cause mayhem in London
Don’t blame Dubai’s freak rain on cloud seeding
Who would lead if US stepped off world stage? asks Biden
Sexual harassment case: HC declines to suspend prison sentence of former TN special DGP
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
NIA arrests key accused in 2023 attack on Indian High Commission in London
Three persons run over by train in Bengaluru
Indian nationals aboard ‘MSC Aries’ in good health, return delayed due to technicalities: MEA
Husband has no control over wife’s ‘stridhan’: SC
IT sleuths threatening raided leaders to claim money belongs to me, Cong: DK Shivakumar