New fire in California, at least two dead and thousands of inhabitants threatened

Several buildings were also destroyed by this fire which started Monday near the town of Hemet in the southeast of Los Angeles and has already ravaged more than 1600 hectares

At least two people died Tuesday in California and thousands more were asked to evacuate their homes because of a new large fire in the Los Angeles area, currently subject to a brutal heat wave.

Another person was burned and had to be hospitalized, according to the provisional report communicated by the firefighters, who asked the inhabitants of more than 3,000 homes to evacuate their homes, while the authorities feared having to come to cuts. current, the electricity network floundering under demand.

The fire “spread very quickly even before the firefighters arrived on the scene”, explained a spokesperson for the fire department.

extreme temperatures

An investigation has been opened to determine the origin of the fire. Meanwhile, utility Southern California Edison reported “circuit activity” in the area when the fire started.

The company has already had to pay billions of dollars in the past for causing fires in California, sometimes fatal, because of its failing infrastructure. It has pledged to renovate its aging power lines, cutting surrounding vegetation and burying cables to reduce the risk of fire starting.

This fire comes as California faces, like parts of Nevada and Arizona, another day of extreme temperatures.

A heat dome has settled over the region, pushing the mercury to climb up to 43°C in some places, and the phenomenon is expected to continue until Thursday. Meteorologists expect temperature records to be broken in the week.

Coupled with the devastating drought that has hit the American West for two decades, this brutal heat creates the ideal conditions for fires to start. Last week, another fire, called “Route Fire”, had already destroyed several thousand hectares in the hinterland of Los Angeles.