Raging flames spread throughout several Los Angeles neighborhoods as firefighters try to contain the blazes. Still, the water supply from area fire hydrants has dropped, jeopardizing efforts to eliminate the threats.
According to the Los Angeles Times, fires have engulfed areas in Los Angeles. Firefighters have stated that some fire hydrants are down, thwarting efforts to stop the deadly flames. Fires have been reported throughout Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Pasadena, and Sylmar, with wind gusts of up to 99 mph.
Firefighters battling the blaze reported on internal radio systems that fire hydrants in Pacific Palisades were coming up dry.
“The hydrants are down,” said one firefighter.
“Water supply just dropped,” another one stated.
As of Tuesday, Dec. 7, the rapidly spreading fire had grown to more than 2,900 acres. It started around 10:30 a.m., damaging many homes and forcing thousands to evacuate the area. How the fire started is unclear, but authorities are encouraging anyone in the immediate vicinity to evacuate.
The National Weather Service reported wind gusts of up to 99 mph near Altadena at 10:20 p.m., 98 mph near Woodland Hills at 9:37 p.m., and 84 mph at Hollywood Burbank Airport at 8:30 p.m.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the fires.
“This is a highly dangerous windstorm creating extreme fire risk -– and we’re not out of the woods. We’re already seeing the destructive impacts with this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes.
“Our deepest thanks go to our expert firefighters and first responders who jumped quickly into fighting this dangerous fire. If you’re in Southern California, please pay attention to weather reports and follow any guidance from emergency officials.”
The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has notified area residents that the fires will last through Jan. 9, with extreme conditions occurring early on Jan. 8.
CBS News has also reported that more than 200,000 homes and businesses have lost power in L.A.
As of 12:30 a.m., the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power confirmed that nearly 127,000 customers were without power. Southern California Edison reported that more
than 52,000 customers did not have power as of midnight. The most significant outage was centered in Duarte, where 7,930 residents were without electricity at around 10 p.m. The utility company said it was considering public safety shutoff for roughly 409,000 Southern California residents, mainly in Riverside and Los Angeles counties. They expect an estimated 123,400 and 113,735 customers to be affected in the respective areas.RELATED CONTENT: Gen Z’s Mental Health Struggles Create Catch-22 In Employment, UK Study Reveals