Los Angeles Was Hit By Two Major Wildfires, Affecting More Than 100,000 People

Los Angeles is on full force to contain the wind-fueled wildfire that hit the region. On Friday, the Los Angeles region was hit by a major wildfire, which caused a massive evacuation and widespread devastation in the region. The wildfire was reportedly started in the Los Angeles community of Sylmar in the San Fernando Valley, around 9 P.M., Thursday.

According to NBC News, more than 1,000 firefighters have already been called into action to contain the blaze and prevent it from destroying homes and infrastructures. Around 100,000 people were under evacuation orders after the huge wildfire broke out.

The Saddleridge wildfire

The huge Saddleridge Fire was fueled by extremely low humidity of around 4 percent along with strong winds gusting around 50 mph. The Saddleridge Fire has grown so fast and destroyed more than 7,500 acres and at least 31 structures, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The California state government has already issued a red flag warning in parts of the Los Angeles area, including the San Fernando Valley. The red flag warnings have been extended until 6 P.M., Saturday.

Luckily, no deaths have been directly blamed on fire, but there is one serious case where a man has suffered a cardiac arrest. The man was declared dead later at a hospital.

On Friday, California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for the Los Angeles region as well as the Riverside counties due to the growing wildfires. The California state also received a fire management assistance grant from the US Federal Emergency Management Agency. The federal emergency grant will help the local agencies to recover from disaster and meet emergency needs.

The Governor also signed an emergency declaration for the Saddleridge Fire that hit the Los Angeles community of Sylmar. Unfortunately, the cause of the wind-fueled Saddleridge Fire has not been determined by the Los Angeles Fire Department. But, there is a fresh media report of a witness, according to Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas, that has seen a fire came out from an electric transmission outpost.

The other wildfire

The second fire, the Sandalwood Fire, which broke out in Riverside County, has burned and destroyed at least 74 structures and damaged 16 others. This second fire is blamed in one death, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. All-in-all, the Sandalwood Fire had burned 823 acres of land and was only 10 percent contained, the fire department official said.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the wildfire was caused when the material in a trash truck ignited and the fire quickly spread into vegetation, burning everything in its path.

Strong and low humidity has increased the risk of wildfires across California state. This has prompted some utility companies to initiate fire prevention shutoff, which pre-emptively shut down operations to prevent further damages to the critical power infrastructures. On Friday, the utility firm Pacific Gas and Electric have announced in a statement that power had been restored to around 74 percent of those affected by the fire prevention shutoff.