LA council member: 'Absolute miracle' no fatalities reported
Los Angeles Councilwoman Traci Park said it is an “absolute miracle” no fatalities have been reported as fires blaze through parts of Los Angeles.
“This fire moved very, very quickly,” Park said in an interview on NBC’s “Today” on Wednesday. "It is an absolute miracle that we do not have any reported fatalities at this point."
“But as the sun comes up here in Los Angeles today, and we get our first glimpses at the scale of the damage and the loss, it's going to be an absolutely devastating day for all of Los Angeles," she continued.
The Pacific Palisades wildfire and three others burning in and around Los Angeles expanded overnight, forcing residents to evacuate and decimating structures in the region.
Park commended residents for heeding evacuation orders, stressing the dry conditions in the area that caused it to grow rapidly.
“I really want to commend neighbors in the area for their swift response and compliance with local orders,” she said. “This was a fire that grew and moved very, very quickly with wind conditions as well as all of the dry conditions, it’s been at least eight months since we’ve had rain in this area.”
Park said the fire department is “overwhelmed at this point,” noting helicopters are struggling to dump water because of the strong winds in the area.
The Palisades fire, which started as a brush fire on Tuesday has expanded, growing to almost 3,000 acres with zero containment, according to Cal Fire. It started at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time Tuesday, expanding to a minimum of 2,900 acres, forcing evacuation orders.
The second fire, the Eaton Fire, also started on Tuesday near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive in Pasadena. The Hurst Fire, the third fire, started burning Tuesday night, spreading rapidly with high winds and burning at least 500 acres. A fourth one, the Tyler Fire, began Wednesday morning in Coachella, Riverside County.