The sky turned orange in the glittering city of Los Angeles in United States’ southern California, that is home to America’s film industry, as wildfires driven by dry strong winds called ‘Santa Ana’ reached Hollywood Hills on Wednesday after ripping through plush neighbourhoods of Altadena, Pasadena and Pacific Palisades, where many Hollywood celebrities lost their houses to the blazes.
Visuals from Los Angeles surfacing on social media showed devastating scenes that resembled what an apocalyptic world would look like.
‘Apocalyptic’
Unverified videos showed fireballs that leapt from house to house, burning swathes of California’s most desirable real estate. Aerial videos showed what users claimed was Hollywood Hills, looking like a gigantic bonfire as flames and thick smoke turned the iconic area into a nightmarish scene.
One such purported video showed the landscape divided into three visually striking scenes, an almost-black sky above an eerily orange backdrop with sun trying to peak through over the scores of high-rises.
A post on X shared a video that was captioned: “This is by far the craziest video from the fire in Los Angeles. This guy is filming huge walls of fire surrounding a house they’re in, and there’s another person and a dog. I have no idea why they didn’t evacuate or what happened to them. Let’s hope they’re okay.”
🚨 LOS ANGELES IS BURNING
🎥 VIDEO: WEST LA NEIGHBORHOOD RIGHT NOW
This is shocking.
Our hearts ache for everyone in Pacific Palisades and Los Angeles as these insane devastating fires rage on.
⛔️ PLEASE, stay safe—nothing is more important than your life and the lives of… pic.twitter.com/dXSllWZZf9
— Shirion Collective (@ShirionOrg) January 8, 2025
Hard-hit Altadena produced one of the most heart-wrenching scenes, showing about 100 elderly residents at senior care facilities getting rushed out in hospital beds and wheelchairs with flames closing in.
Many were wearing flimsy bedclothes in the chilly night air as they were wheeled to a parking lot about a block away.
The wildfires have killed five people so far, burned down hundreds of houses, including those of some celebrities, and also charred landmarks like the historic ranch house that belonged to Hollywood legend Will Rogers and the Topanga Ranch Motel, built by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1929, according to an Associated Press report.
Many of the raging fires started Tuesday, fueled by strong ‘Santa Ana’ winds that were of the strength of a hurricane, gusting over 70 mph (112 kph) in some areas. The winds continued on Wednesday, making it too risky for aircraft to fight the fires from the air, delaying efforts. Aerial firefighting resumed Wednesday morning and has since then been going on.
