Despite recently welcoming in a new year, Californians have been battling with long familiar threats as wildfires continue to burn throughout the state. At presstime, there are still five fires currently burning including the Palisades Fire at 8% containment, the Hurst Fire at 37% containment and the Eaton Fire at 3% containment, the Sunset Fire at containment and the Kenneth Fire at 35% containment.
Firefighters have not only had to battle extremely dry conditions but fierce winds that have made the ability to control the flames almost impossible. Red flag warnings were issued as gusts close to 100 mph peaked overnight from Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning, bringing a “life-threatening, destructive and widespread windstorm.”
Darkened skies, erratic flames, extreme winds and flying debris have caused many residents to declare the situation as nothing short of apocalyptic. While firefighters and emergency personnel have been dispatched to the various locations, it has become evident that there seem to be just too little resources for too massive of an emergency. Early Wednesday morning, Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency and urged all Southern Californians to be alert to any orders from emergency personnel and to evacuate if told to do so.
If time permits, and safety is not threatened, experts advise those in evacuation warning areas to quickly make a cell phone video of everything inside of their home – film into closets, open drawers and anything you can capture for potential insurance purposes. Have a “go-bag” handy with essential documents, medicine and spare clothing. If you are in an area declared for a mandatory evacuation, leave immediately.
For those looking for updates, WatchDuty.org has been a major resource for those looking to monitor the fire, get the most recent up-to-date evacuation orders and get alerts of any further breaking news.
