Usa, fires in California: for the first time the extreme red alert issued

LOS ANGELES – An extreme red alert was launched in southern California due to forest fires that have threatened various parts of the state for days, causing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people, blackouts, destruction of homes and other buildings. This is the first time this type of alert has been issued.

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The counties involved are those of Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino. The winds are expected to reach 128 km per hour reinforcing the front of the fires in northern California where over 4,500 firefighters have been deployed to fight the flames. "The strong winds combined with humidity will probably lead to very critical weather conditions: this is why we issued the extreme red alert", explain the US state authorities. The wind should reach its peak at 3pm today and continue until Thursday.Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said that more than 7,000 residents evacuated for the Getty Fire, which broke out on Monday and burned at least a dozen homes, should not return until conditions are safe. "A small spark is enough to ignite new fires," explained Los Angeles fire chief Ralph Terrazas during a press conference.

"My house is reduced to ashes, I lost my whole life," says 71-year-old Wade Hoefer at the AFP while examining the ruins of his painting studio at the historic Soda Rock Winery destroyed by the Kincade Fire. "All I have is my clothes on my back," he said, adding that he now lives in his car. Similar fires in northern California, including the Napa and Sonoma wine regions, killed 44 people in 2017 and destroyed thousands of facilities.

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