Key points
- Five people have been killed in wildfires
- Scientists say human-caused climate change is altering weather patterns
WASHINGTON: United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday cancelled his upcoming trip to Italy to focus instead on the federal response to wildfires raging across Los Angeles, which have razed hundreds of homes and forced thousands to evacuate.
“After returning this evening from Los Angeles, where earlier today he had met with police, fire and emergency personnel … President Biden made the decision to cancel his upcoming trip to Italy to remain focused on directing the full federal response in the days ahead,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Biden had been due to travel to Italy from Thursday to Sunday, likely his final overseas trip as president.
Rampaging wildfires
At least five people have been killed in wildfires rampaging around Los Angeles, officials said Wednesday, with firefighters overwhelmed by the speed and ferocity of multiple blazes.
Up to 1,500 buildings have burned in fires that have broken out around America’s second biggest city, forcing over 100,000 people from their homes.
Hurricane-force winds whipped up fireballs that leapt from house to house in the upmarket Pacific Palisades area, incinerating a swathe of California’s most desirable real estate favoured by Hollywood celebrities.
On Wednesday evening, a new fire erupted in the Hollywood Hills, just a few hundred meters (yards) from the storied Hollywood Boulevard, sparking an evacuation order for the world’s entertainment capital.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said his crews were overwhelmed by the scale and speed of the unfolding disasters.
“We’re doing the very best we can. But no, we don’t have enough fire personnel in LA County between all the departments to handle this,” he said.
The fire raging in Pacific Palisades had consumed around 16,000 acres (6,500 hectares) as of Wednesday afternoon, taking 1,000 homes and businesses with it.
300,000 households without electricity
Having razed perhaps hundreds of multimillion-dollar homes, the Pacific Palisades fire looked set to be one of the costliest blazes on record.
AccuWeather said it estimated up to $57 billion of losses had been caused in the multiple disasters.
More than 300,000 households were without electricity in the region, according to the website outage.us. Utilities in California frequently de-energize lines during high winds to minimize the risk of new fires.
Wildfires are part of life in the US West and play a vital role in nature.
But scientists say human-caused climate change is altering weather patterns.
Southern California had two decades of drought that were followed by two exceptionally wet years, which sparked furious vegetative growth — leaving the region packed with fuel and primed to burn.
Meteorologist Daniel Swain said the fierce winds — which have gusted up to 100 miles (160 kilometres) an hour — are stronger than the usual seasonal Santa Ana winds, but are not unexpected.
“The winds are the driver, but the real catalyst… is this incredible antecedent dryness,” he said.
“The lack of rain and the anomalous warmth and dryness that we’ve seen the past six months. That’s something that we haven’t seen in records going back to the 1800s.”
