Relentless wildfires force evacuations

Hot, dry Santa Ana winds are expected to fan several relentlesswildfires in southern California, where hundreds of houses have burnedand tens of thousands have fled their homes around Los Angeles, thesecond-largest US city.The winds, which blow westward from the California desert, were forecast to reach 130kph.That could stoke several blazes burning in the Los Angeles area thathave already caused, according to local media, about 200,000 people toevacuate.“Strong winds over night creating extreme fire danger,” said an alert sent by the countrywide emergency system in Los Angeles.Video and photographs on social media showed flame-covered hillsidesalong busy roadways as commuters slowly made their way to work or home,rows of houses reduced to ash and firefighters spraying water on wallsof fire as they tried to save houses.“We are in the beginning of a protracted wind event,” Ken Pimlott,director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection(Cal Fire), told the Los Angeles Times. “There will be no ability tofight fire in these kinds of winds.”In the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles, the Creek Firedestroyed at least 30 homes, blackened more than 12,000 acres and forcedthe evacuation of 2,500 homes and a convalescent centre.Another fire, known as the Rye Fire, threatened more than 5,000 homes and structures northwest of Los Angeles.The Skirball Fire, which erupted early on Wednesday had burned about 500acres near large estates in the Bel-Air neighbourhood of Los Angeles,was only 5% contained.Firefighters battled to save multimillion-dollar homes in the path of the flames.“These are days that break your heart,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcettisaid during a news conference. “These are also days that show theresilience of our city.”No civilian casualties or fatalities have been reported. Threefirefighters were injured and hospitalised in stable condition, the LosAngeles Fire Department said. Dozens of schools across the areacancelled classes yesterday.The largest blaze, the Thomas Fire, burned more than 90,000 acres afterit destroyed more than 150 homes and threatened thousands more inVentura, about 80km northwest of Los Angeles.Additional evacuations were called for late on Wednesday in the Venturaarea, where 50,000 people had already fled their homes over the lastthree days.“The danger is imminent,” Cal Fire said in its evacuation notice.The Santa Ana gales have come at the worst time, at the end of a long dry spell.The combination of savage Santa Anas and tinder-dry plants have ignitedlarge wildfires in the region this week, upending lives at a time whenmany people were preparing for the winter holidays, officials said.It served as a reminder that parts of California increasingly face a year-round threat of flames.“There is no fire season anymore,” said California Department ofForestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) spokesman Scott McLain, addingthat this was particularly true in Southern California.The Santa Anas, winds that rush through California’s coastal mountains,foothills and canyons from deserts to the east, will blow hard againtoday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Carol Smith. Gusts ofup to 97kph are forecast.The Santa Anas typically begin in late September and it is not unusualfor them to peak in December or January, officials said. This year,however, the winds follow months of low rainfall.Since October 1, Los Angeles has received 0.11 inches (0.3cm) of rain,Smith said, compared to normal precipitation of more than 2 inches (5cm)over the same period.Southern California’s dry spell this fall followed heavy rain thatsoaked the region a year ago, which itself came on the heels of fiveyears of drought.“Absolutely climate change is affecting precipitation — that’s why weare seeing record drought followed by record rainfall,” Erin Mellon, aspokeswoman for the California Department of Water Resources said in ane-mail.In wetter years, rainfall has given trees and plants enough moisture towithstand flames, said Tom Rolinski, senior meteorologist with the USForest Service.Southern California in the past often saw the fire season end aroundNovember, Rolinski said. To that end, large fires in December have beenrare in California for more than a decade, according to Cal Firerecords.The last time Southern California saw a blaze in December that burned thousands of acres was in 2006, the records show.That year, the Shekell fire in Ventura County charred 13,600 acres and damaged or destroyed 18 structures.Even though flames came late this year, people in the city of Venturaevacuated quickly, said local City Councilman Erik Nasarenko, who wasamong those forced to flee.Residents were starkly aware of fires in Northern California that killedmore than 40 people in October, Nasarenko said by phone. Those Octoberblazes were the deadliest rash of wildfires in California history.“The consciousness of the residents of Ventura was raised,” Nasarenko said.