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Over 100,000 people have been told to flee at least five separate blazes, including in the heart of historic Hollywood.
Wildfires threatened to engulf parts of Hollywood on Wednesday as a growing number of blazes raged across Los Angeles, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes and claiming at least five lives.
Fast-moving flames fanned by powerful winds have levelled 1,500 structures, many of them multi-million dollar homes in a rolling tragedy that one forecast said could end up costing over $50 billion.
Over 100,000 people have been told to flee at least five separate blazes, including in the heart of historic Hollywood, just a few hundred meters (yards) from the storied theaters of Hollywood Boulevard.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said his crews were struggling with the scale and speed of the unfolding disasters.
“We’re doing the very best we can. But no, we don’t have enough fire personnel in LA County between all the departments to handle this,” he said.
New fires appeared to be spotting as embers were thrown up to 2.5 miles (four kilometers) including one that razed a large property late Wednesday in the densely populated Studio City area.
Adam Vangerpen of Los Angeles County Fire Department said crews were fighting to stop this new fire from spreading.
“It’s a four-story home… we did just have the winds pick up again, so we are seeing some ember casting,” he said.
“Our hope is to hit it hard and make sure that we’re trying to keep it out of the brush right now, because with the winds picking up there in the hills, that is a concern of ours.”
Millions of Angelenos have watched in horror as a series of blazes have erupted around America’s second biggest city, sparking panic and fear.
A fire in the Hollywood Hills late Wednesday caused an evacuation order for a number of streets in the historic district, as firefighters took to the skies to dump water on the blaze.
The sudden eruption created gridlock on Hollywood’s streets, hampering efforts by people who live in the area — a mixture of ritzy homes and rent-controlled apartments — to leave.
Sharon Ibarra, 29, told AFP she had rushed into Hollywood when she heard of the blaze to see if she could help her boss with her two babies.
“I am super nervous, scared because of everything that has happened in the other places,” she said.
“Thank God there is not much wind like yesterday.”
That wind — with gusts up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) an hour — spread the fire around the ritzy Pacific Palisades neighborhood with lightning speed.
At least 16,000 acres (6,500 hectares) burned there, with 1,000 homes and businesses razed.
A separate 10,600-acre (4,300-hectare) fire was burning around Altadena, north of the city, where flames tore through suburban streets.
