After a night of fierce winds, multiple wildfires broke out in Southern California, spreading rapidly and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate in the middle of the night. Nearly 300,000 households and businesses were left without power, while thousands of homes were completely consumed by the flames. Many residents could clearly see the wildfires creeping along the nearby hills from their own windows, with several flights also being affected as a result.
Resident Jin Ming from the Chinese city in San Gabriel Valley shared with reporters, “On Tuesday night, we looked out from our window and saw what seemed like a fire dragon winding its way up the mountain. The fire was burning along the entire hillside, getting dangerously close; it felt like it was about to reach our doorstep. We stayed up all night, feeling extremely frightened.”
Another resident, Cheryl Sun, living in Azusa, also expressed, “Our house is close to the mountain, and we saw red flames burning on the hill. We didn’t dare to sleep all night and had to be prepared for emergency evacuation at any moment. The area near us has been without power since the afternoon.”
Southern California is facing a “life-threatening, destructive widespread storm”. The California National Weather Service had issued warnings for multiple areas to expect extreme weather conditions starting from January 6 for a week. The fire alert became effective since early Tuesday morning and is expected to last at least until Thursday afternoon.
Due to the storm and wildfires, Governor Newsom has declared a state of emergency. The National Weather Service has advised people to stay indoors, away from windows, and to prepare for power outages. Residents in mountainous areas are urged to be ready for emergency evacuations.
Since Tuesday, at least four wind-driven wildfires rapidly spread across Southern California. The most severe wildfire, the “Eaton Fire”, broke out in the Altadena and Pasadena areas on Tuesday evening. This wildfire has not only posed a threat to structures and homes but also resulted in two deaths and multiple injuries. As of Wednesday morning, the fire had consumed 10,600 acres of land with a containment rate of 0%.
Another significant wildfire erupted on Tuesday morning at Pacific Palisades, a wealthy area of Los Angeles. This area is home to many Hollywood celebrities. The Pacific Palisades fire forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes, some fleeing by car while others abandoning vehicles to escape the flames. The fire destroyed multiple homes and burned extensive hillside areas, resulting in several injuries. By Wednesday morning, the fire had scorched 11,802 acres of land with a containment rate of 0%.
Several cities with a high concentration of Chinese residents in the San Gabriel Valley issued emergency evacuation orders. Pasadena City late Tuesday night ordered a mandatory evacuation for the area east of Allen Ave, north of Washington Blvd, and west of Sierra Madre Villa Ave. The mandatory evacuation order was later expanded to areas north of Orange Grove/Rosemead Blvd, east of Lake Ave, and west of Michillinda Ave.
The Pasadena City Fire Department urged people to carry all necessary belongings for extended periods of evacuation. A temporary evacuation center was set up at the Pasadena City Hall located at 300 East Green Street.
The city of Rosemead government announced the activation of an emergency operations center to provide better disaster relief support. For residents’ safety, some city facilities were closed, and school districts temporarily suspended classes.
Arcadia police issued a mandatory evacuation order early Wednesday, directing residents in the northern part of the city to evacuate immediately. All residents within the outlined red area on the map provided by the police were required to follow the evacuation order, causing multiple road closures. The city also established a temporary shelter at the Arcadia Community Center located at 365 Campus Drive.
Due to the wildfires still being out of control, the scope and timing of emergency evacuations are continuously being updated. Apart from the aforementioned cities, many municipal law enforcement officers are reminding residents to stay updated through official channels and receive information about road closures.
Moreover, the smoke produced by the wildfires has led to extremely poor air quality. Officials stated that the smoke from the Eaton Fire is expected to have the “most severe impact” on the western part of the San Gabriel Valley on Wednesday morning, advising people to stay indoors as much as possible.
Midday at Monterey Park, a Chinese community, remnants of the wildfires fell like snowflakes on pedestrians and vehicles, with the air quality extremely poor. The sky was engulfed in thick haze, resulting in low visibility.
The storms and wildfires are also damaging the city’s infrastructure and disrupting normal work and study routines for residents. For example, in Duarte, several power lines were blown down, causing widespread power outages, while several large trees were uprooted, blocking lanes on major roads. Nearly 300,000 households and businesses have been without power since Tuesday.
Apart from unplanned power outages, Southern California Edison (SCE) earlier stated that they might implement public safety power shutoffs in areas worst affected by severe weather, affecting users in Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, Orange County, Riverside County, and Ventura County.
The extreme weather conditions are also affecting people’s regular travel plans. Many individuals took to social media to complain about their flights being delayed, canceled, or rerouted at short notice.
A passenger, Mrs. Chen, mentioned that she was supposed to transfer in Denver to Los Angeles on Tuesday evening. However, their flight was abruptly informed that the plane could not land at Los Angeles International Airport and had to be rerouted to San Francisco instead, with the added inconvenience of her luggage left behind in Denver.
In response to the ordeal faced by many passengers, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) stated in an email to reporters, “LAX remains open and operating normally. However, as always, passengers are advised to check with their airlines for flight status.”
Sources: Epoch Times, Weather Services, Local Authorities.