The authorities blamed the dangerous wildfire situation in Southern California to the combination of strong winds, very low relative humidity and dry vegetation.
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Three major wildfires raging across Los Angeles County, the most populous county of the United States, killed at least two people and forced tens of thousands of residents to be evacuated, the county's Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said Wednesday.
The Palisades fire, a devastating wind-driven brush fire in Pacific Palisades stared on Tuesday, spread to 5,000 acres (20.23 square kilometers) as of Wednesday with zero containment.
The blaze destroyed about 1,000 structures, including many expensive homes built between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, and forced thousands to flee with new evacuation warnings issued for Malibu.
In a rich community located 32 kilometers west of Los Angeles downtown, many landmarks include the sumptuous Getty Villa museum showcasing Greek and Roman antiquities, and the mid-century modern Eames House, were threatened by fire.
The Eaton fire, which broke out Tuesday evening, had burned more than 2,200 acres (8.90 square kilometers) near Altadena and Pasadena, two neighboring cities of Los Angeles, killed two people and seriously injured many others, according to Marrone.
Meanwhile, the Hurst fire, which spread quickly during high winds overnight in Sylmar, scorched 500 acres (2.02 square kilometers) as of Wednesday.
The authorities blamed the dangerous wildfire situation in Southern California to the combination of strong winds, very low relative humidity and dry vegetation as extraordinarily powerful winds and gusts -- of up to 160 kph -- were reported overnight.
A Particularly Dangerous Situation red flag warning will remain in effect across the region through Thursday afternoon and a high wind warning will remain in effect through Wednesday evening.
Southern California Edison that runs the grid in Southern California said early Wednesday dozens of outages across multiple counties in the region had left nearly 55,000 customers in the dark. ■
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