Massive LA wildfire forces thousands to leave homes as firefighters gain ground
Pacific winds help firefighters control huge blaze near Los Angeles that burned over 20‚000 acres. Local residents face tough choices as some return home while others remain displaced
The Mountain fire near Los Angeles burned through 20‚630 acres of land causing wide-spread evacuations in fall of last year. Fire-fighting teams made good progress with containment rising to 14% after winds shifted direction from desert to ocean
Around 2‚400 fire-fighters worked non-stop to control the blaze that destroyed 132 buildings and damaged 88 more. Chief Dustin Gardner reported no new spread which helped stabilize the situation; however many areas remained at-risk due to difficult terrain and dry conditions
Everything is gone. All gone. Burned up
Local resident Dennis Gottlieb barely escaped with his wife when the fire approached their house. The intense heat (reaching 150F) and heavy smoke forced them to leave quickly: a fallen tree blocked their escape route but a neighbor with a chain-saw helped clear the path
Weather conditions improved as Santa Ana winds that initially reached 80-100mph calmed down. Ariel Cohen from the weather service noted that wind speeds dropped below 15mph which helped fire-fighting efforts‚ though he warned about possible wind increases by mid-week
The fire reflects broader climate trends in California where wet winters create more vegetation thats prone to summer fires. U.S wildfire data shows:
- 8.1 million acres burned nationwide that year
- Three times more land affected in California compared to previous year
- Record summer temperatures increased fire risks
