Apocalypse in Los Angeles: New fire, looting and more deaths!

By Valeria Nickel

Los Angeles - The huge fire disaster in the Los Angeles area has left a trail of devastation and continues to rage.

According to media reports, around 10,000 buildings have already fallen victim to the devastating fires. At least five people have lost their lives and the number of victims is feared to rise.

It is currently unclear how many people have died in the fires so far. According to consistent US media reports, two more people died in the so-called Palisades Fire, another in the coastal town of Malibu.

Media reports differ on the total number of deaths: CNN spoke of seven victims, NBC of six. Most of them died in the Eaton Fire.

Sheriff Luna hesitated to give specific details and still confirmed five deaths. In view of the devastation, he did not expect any good news regarding the number of victims.

US President Joe Biden (82) described the fires as the worst in California's history. It looks as if "a nuclear bomb has been dropped in these areas", said the Sheriff of Los Angeles County, Robert Luna, on the situation in the affected regions.

The fires are still out of control. According to fire chief Kristin Crowley, more than 5,300 homes have burned in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood alone since Tuesday.

The Eaton Fire near Pasadena, on the other hand, has so far destroyed or damaged around 4,000 to 5,000 buildings, including single and multi-family homes and commercial properties, as confirmed by Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.

While two of the major fires were contained on Thursday, a new one broke out at the same time, the so-called Kenneth Fire in the West Hills and Hidden Hills area between Los Angeles and Ventura.

The largest of the five fires currently raging in the Los Angeles area - known as the "Palisades Fire" - is currently burning over an area of around 8,000 hectares, the fire department added. Meanwhile, the "Eaton Fire" has grown to more than 5500 hectares. "The Eaton Fire is still zero percent contained," emphasized fire chief Marrone.

But it is not only the flames that people who have fled their homes have to fear: According to the authorities, the fire disaster also called criminals to the scene. At least 20 suspects have been arrested so far in connection with looting, said Kathryn Barger from the Los Angeles district.

Meanwhile, the eagerly awaited Oscar nominations should be announced in the next few days. Both this date and the announcement of the nominations for the Producers Guild of America Awards were postponed by two days due to the ongoing fires.