#Prayers: The Santa Ana winds are really kicking up, sparking several wildfires across Southern California and pushing tens of thousands of folks to evacuate their homes. Firefighters are out here tackling multiple brush fires all at the same time.
The Palisades Fire is shaping up to be one of the most devastating natural disasters in L.A. history, spreading over 17,000 acres, while the Easton Fire has scorched more than 10,000 acres, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Right now, both fires are still at zero containment. The Hurst Fire has affected at least 700 acres and is currently at 10% containment, while the Lidia Fire, which has burned over 300 acres, is sitting at 40% containment. On a brighter note, firefighters fully contained the Woodley Fire, which burned through 30 acres, by Wednesday evening. The Sunset Fire, which crossed more than 40 acres in the iconic Hollywood Hills, was also completely contained by Thursday afternoon.
Evacuation orders have been put in place for areas around the brush fires, impacting close to 180,000 residents, with nearly another 200,000 on evacuation watch.
Officials reported that the Palisades and Easton fires have destroyed thousands of structures.
On Wednesday, nearly 1.2 million people across the state were left in the dark, and as of Thursday morning, at least 420,000 customers were still without power.
During a press conference, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone mentioned that even with resources prepositioned from Northern California, they were “not ready for this scale of disaster.”
In response to the crisis, President Joe Biden signed a disaster declaration for California following a request from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who declared a state of emergency on Tuesday night.
Here’s some of the ways you can receive recourses if you were affected. There’s also tips on how you can help people in California. Let’s continue to pray for Cali!
