Wildfires driven by strong winds and dry conditions ravaged north and northwest Los Angeles, claiming 5 lives and destroying over 1,000 structures
President Joe Biden canceled an upcoming trip to Italy in the wake of fires in the US city of Los Angeles, the White House said Wednesday.
"After returning this evening from Los Angeles, where earlier today he had met with police, fire and emergency personnel fighting the historic fires raging in the area and approved a major disaster declaration for California, President Biden made the decision to cancel his upcoming trip to Italy to remain focused on directing the full federal response in the days ahead. Additional details to follow," said spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre in a statement.
Fierce wildfires fueled by severe windstorms and bone-dry conditions spread rapidly across parts of north and northwest Los Angeles on Wednesday after claiming five lives and setting more than 1,000 homes, businesses and other structures ablaze.
The Palisades Fire remains the largest after being the first to erupt Tuesday morning around 10.30 a.m. local time (1830GMT), burning nearly 16,000 acres as it rapidly spreads in and around the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood near the coast.
AccuWeather, a forecasting media company, estimates that the fires have caused between $52 and $57 billion in damages.
“This is a terrible disaster. We're just starting to get a clear look at the magnitude of the destruction and loss," said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter.
Over 70,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes. At least five people have been killed so far, according to multiple media reports that cited the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office.
Some 1.5 million people across southern California are without power, according to the PowerOutage.us website. Some of the outages may have been caused by intentional shut-offs, a tactic power companies sometimes employ to prevent live power lines from falling and further spreading wildfires.
In the latest development, a wildfire has also erupted in the Hollywood Hills, prompting a mandatory evacuation order for a wide area of the historic Hollywood entertainment district, according to local media.
