- Title: Major wildfires rage in Santa Clarita, near Los Angeles, California
- Date: 25th October 2019
- Summary: SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 25, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF COUPLE SITTING IN PARKING LOT OUTSIDE RV WITH THEIR DOGS (SOUNDBITE) (English) EVACUEE, TERRI EGAR SAYING: "Scary, crazy. We've lived here 37 years and never had to evacuate. So, you know, you always hear about it, you always think, maybe this time. But, yeah, this is the first time." MORE OF COUPLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) EVACUEE, TERRI EGAR SAYING: "Luckily we have the RV cause with the dogs it's hard. So, we climbed in the RV and came here and they're going crazy. They've never been in the RV before so it's not - this is very unusual for them. And the sirens and the helicopters and the smoke, so they're very stressed." MAN PETTING DOG (SOUNDBITE) (English) EVACUEE, STEVE EGAR SAYING: "It's like a freight train coming at you, it's horrendous. So, it's more, you know, for us it's an inconvenience, for other people it's life threatening." MORE OF COUPLE OUTSIDE RV CLOSE UP OF SMALL DOG (SOUNDBITE) (English) EVACUEE, ROSEMARY KINSELLA SAYING: "I saw a big smoke area that was black and I went into the house and he was frantic because he was frightened. So, I just threw stuff in the car, in the trunk of the car. And, you know, with my cat and my dog came here because the red alert told us to come here." VARIOUS OF WOMAN WITH DOG EVACUEES OUTSIDE RED CROSS SHELTER WITH PETS VARIOUS OF HORSES AT CASTAIC ANIMAL SHELTER SHEEP AT SHELTER MAN LOOKING AT MAP OUTSIDE RED CROSS SHELTER VARIOUS OF PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERVISOR, 5TH DISTRICT, KATHRYN BARGER SAYING: "Well, you know, the great thing about Santa Clarita Valley is, it's a large community but it's also small and it's a very tight community. And the response and the understanding evacuations for individuals and families has gone relatively smoothly. They've heeded the warning. I think now the frustration is they don't see the fire anymore around them, they want to get back in." MORE OF PRESS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 8th November 2019 22:16
- Keywords: fire california evacuation shelter red cross animals horses pets
- Location: SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- City: SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Fires
- Reuters ID: LVA001B2LKJEV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: California firefighters on Friday (October 25) sought to take advantage of a lull in winds to gain ground on a pair of fast-moving wildfires, including one that has forced the evacuation of about 50,000 residents in suburbs north of Los Angeles.
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday declared a local emergency to assist in fighting that blaze and another one in the wine-growing region of Sonoma County that has destroyed nearly 50 structures and forced the evacuation of 2,000 people.
In Los Angeles County, crews worked overnight to battle the Tick Fire that started on Thursday and has grown to char 4,300 acres (1,700 hectares), threatening 15,000 homes and businesses, officials said. The blaze has upended life in the suburban Santa Clarita Valley, about 40 miles (60 km) north of downtown Los Angeles, which has been used as the backdrop for many movies and television productions and is home to the Magic Mountain amusement park.
"Well, you know, the great thing about Santa Clarita Valley is, it's a large community but it's also small and it's a very tight community. And the response and the understanding evacuations for individuals and families has gone relatively smoothly. They've heeded the warning. I think now the frustration is they don't see the fire anymore around them, they want to get back in," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
The fire, which was only 5 percent contained, has destroyed six structures, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said, adding that figure would rise. Already on Friday morning, images from a television news helicopter showed flames licking a house in the area as firefighters tried to stop the blaze spreading to other homes in that subdivision and up dry, brush-covered canyons. Smoke from the two fires was disrupting life in two of California's biggest cities.
California's wildfires often erupt in the fall, whipped by hot, dry winds that blow westward after a dry summer. In November 2018, at least 85 people died in the Camp Fire in Northern California, the deadliest wildfire in state history. Overnight, winds around the Tick Fire reached speeds of 60 miles per hour (100 kph). They weakened to 20 mph (30 kph) on Friday but scorching temperatures of above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) were complicating the firefighting effort, Osby said.
By Friday evening or this weekend, the winds could shift and increase in speed, potentially drawing the fire into a wooded area where it would burn through plentiful fuel and gain strength, Osby said. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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