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Los Angeles firefighters successfully extinguished a blaze that threatened some of Hollywood's most iconic landmarks, as the city and surrounding area deals with a devastating blaze that destroyed buildings and homes and sent thousands of residents fleeing.
The taming of the Hollywood Hills fire, which broke out late Wednesday, is the first sign that diminished winds and new resources may help authorities control fires that have swept through the region. weThe second city in terms of population.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said the evacuation order for surrounding neighborhoods was lifted at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, allowing residents to return to their homes.
The success in fighting the so-called Sunset Fire was rare good news for Los Angeles residents. However, evacuation orders remain widespread elsewhere, with the Palisades Fire still burning and another near Pasadena, and officials have warned that winds could blow again and accelerate the spread of the disease.
The fire quickly spread through Runyon Canyon late Wednesday before helicopters and fire engines swept the area to bring it under control. More than 100,000 residents remain under evacuation orders or warnings across the province. Multiple fires It spread to more than 28,000 acres and killed at least five people.
The Sunset fire was the sixth to break out in Los Angeles County in recent days. Iconic landmarks including the Hollywood Sign were threatened, and forced evictions took place along Hollywood Boulevard, which is home to the iconic TCL Chinese Theater – formerly known as Grauman's Chinese Theater.
“We are past the critical wind event,” Margaret Stewart, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said in an interview with television station KTLA Thursday morning. He added: “We expect the same process throughout the day, and while we have not yet been able to contain the disease, we are working to achieve it.”
As the sun rose on Thursday, residents of both areas began to catch a glimpse of the sheer scale of the devastation. Many streets in the Palisades area look as if a bomb has exploded, flattening entire buildings.
Scattered metal appliances and stoves were among the only remains in the residential neighborhoods. Several businesses in the Palisades were destroyed — including two grocery stores.
The fires have weighed heavily on the city's important entertainment industry. Work in Hollywood stopped, and the shows and celebrations leading up to the Oscars were postponed. Warner Bros. has halted production in Burbank due to the fires, and Paramount has postponed the premiere of its new film A better man.
The fires have also become a political flashpoint, with Republicans, including US President-elect Donald Trump, blaming Democratic leadership in Los Angeles and California, as well as President Joe Biden, for failing to adequately prepare and respond to the fires.
“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning to the ground,” Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. He added: “It's ashes, and Gavin Newsom should resign,” referring to the state's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom. “This is all his fault!!!”
