By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-01-10 03:41:41 | Updated at 2025-01-10 10:02:14
6 hours ago
Massive wildfires that engulfed whole neighbourhoods and displaced thousands in Los Angeles raged out of control Thursday, authorities said, as California’s National Guard soldiers readied to hit the streets to help quell disorder.
Swathes of the United States’ second-largest city lay in ruins, with smoke blanketing the sky with an acrid smell pervading almost every building.
A vast firefighting operation continued for a third day, bolstered by water-dropping helicopters thanks to a temporary lull in winds, but new fires continued to spring up.
Amid the chaos, looting has broken out, with a curfew planned for affected areas, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said, while the state’s National Guard were set to spring into action.
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has officially requested the support of the California National Guard for both fires,” Luna told reporters.
Governor Gavin Newsom said the California National Guard members, who were prepared to staff checkpoints and help control traffic, were part of a thousands-strong deployment of state personnel.
