LOS ANGELES, 9th January, 2025 (WAM) -- Raging wildfires surrounding Los Angeles spread to the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday, after five other fires in the area killed at least five people, destroyed hundreds of homes and stretched firefighting resources and water supplies to the limit.
More than 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate as dry, hurricane-force winds hindered firefighting operations and spread the fires, which have burned parched terrain almost unimpeded since they began on Tuesday.
A new fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday evening, Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told a press conference, forcing more evacuations and raising to six the number of wildfires burning in Los Angeles County.
Nearly 1 million homes and businesses lost power in Los Angeles County, according to PowerOutage.us. School was cancelled throughout Los Angeles County at least through Thursday.
The fires struck at an especially vulnerable time for Southern California, which has yet to see significant rainfall since the start of the water year in October.