Strong forest fires raging for the third day in the vicinity of Los Angeles have engulfed thousands of hectares of land and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Upscale neighborhoods like Pacific Palisades were particularly hard hit, where many homes, cars and infrastructure were destroyed. Entire neighborhoods and parts of the city were left without electricity, water and gas.
Dry vegetation and strong winds, with gusts of up to 160 km/h, further complicate the efforts of firefighters. The death toll has risen to at least five, and could be higher. The governor of California urged residents to comply with evacuation orders and promised all possible help in the fight against this disaster.
Yesterday, a reader contacted us from Downtown Anđelko Mlakar, who sent photos and videos of the fire. He says the worst is in the hills above Santa Monica and in the hills above Altadena to the northeast of the city.
"The wind blows from the northeast to the southwest so that it carries smoke over the whole city", said Anđelko.
He adds that the sky above Downtown looks like a scene from the movie "Blade Runner" and that flakes of ash are falling across the city.
Anđelko is from Dugi Selo, and he moved to Los Angeles a few years ago.
"The last time I was here was in 2017 and 2018 and it was the same, the hills were on fire and we were driving on highways through smoke", said Anđelko.
We asked him if he plans to leave his home.
"Evacuation? I don't believe it because the fire is in the hills, it shouldn't affect the city below", says Anđelko.
All Croats from California who want to share their story with us can email us [email protected] or through social networks Facebook and Instagram.
Photo/Video: Anđelko Mlakar
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