Apocalyptic scenes have emerged across Los Angeles County, where multiple wildfires have caused catastrophic damage and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.
Whole neighborhoods have been devastated. As many as 10,000 structures have been destroyed between the Eaton Fire and the coastal Palisades Fire, which is now the most destructive fire in the county’s history.
Many people were forced to abandon cars in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood between Malibu and Santa Monica, prompting fire officials to use a bulldozer to move vehicles that piled up as evacuees became stuck in traffic. With traffic slowing evacuations, and flames jumping the highway, some had considered sheltering on the beach.
Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Sheila Kelliher said the terrain and wind combined created a “massive fight.”
“It’s the perfect storm, as they say — the low relative humidity, the high gusty winds, the low fuel moisture, the lack of rain and the excessive fuel growth that we’ve had over the last three years really have set this up for this once-in-a-decade wind event,” she told CNN’s Laura Coates.
