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Sad! Wildf!re engulfs US homes, 30,000 evacuat3d
A wildfire in a Los Angeles suburb devoured buildings and sparked panicked evacuations Tuesday, as hurricane-force winds tore through the region.
Frightened residents abandoned their cars on one of the only roads in and out of the upscale Pacific Palisades area, fleeing on foot from the almost 3,000-acre (1,200-hectare) blaze engulfing an area packed with multimillion-dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Firefighters used bulldozers to push dozens of vehicles – including expensive models like BMWs, Teslas and Mercedes – to one side, leaving many crumpled and with their alarms blaring.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said despite the chaotic evacuation, there were no immediate reports of any deaths or injuries.
Hundreds of firefighters swarmed the area, attacking the blaze from the ground and from the air, while crews worked in steep terrain to cut back vegetation and create firebreaks.
Around 30,000 people were ordered to evacuate the fast-spreading flames, which leveled multiple homes as powerful winds spread embers far and wide.
“We are not out of danger,” said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, speaking at an afternoon press conference, adding that the winds are expected to pick up.
– ‘Everyone panicked’ –
The fire erupted midmorning and swelled quickly, taking many residents by surprise.
One man, who gave his name as Gary, told broadcaster KTLA hot ashes were raining down on his community of Sea Ridge.
“There was smoke in the distance, and I was assured that it would not come over the hill… Five minutes later, it’s coming down the hill,” he said. “Everyone panicked, that’s when everybody made a run and went to go and pack their houses up.”
Evacuee Kelsey Trainor said she saw the fire explode in size as she was fleeing.
“By the time we got to the bottom of the hill, which is about two or three miles, there were flames on both sides of the road, and it became gridlocked,” she said.
“No one knew what to do. Everyone was honking their horns. There’s flames all around you.
“I could see people walking with suitcases, with their dogs, children. An elderly woman was really visibly upset and in tears.”
Pacific Palisades resident Andrew Hires told AFP he got a text alerting him to the fire as his child was at the dentist about to have a tooth extracted.
“We pulled off the mask and ran to the car,” he said.
– ‘A rough night’ –
The fire came as the area was being hit by seasonal Santa Ana winds that forecasters said could develop into the worst windstorm in a decade, with gusts of up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) an hour expected.
“This looks pretty, pretty concerning,” said meteorologist Daniel Swain.
“It’s going to be, I think, a rough night. And what’s going on now is only just the beginning, because weather conditions are going to get a lot worse.”
With a huge pall of smoke visible over the whole of Los Angeles, events throughout the area were cancelled, including a red-carpet premiere of Jennifer Lopez’s new film “Unstoppable.”
US President Joe Biden – who was in Los Angeles for a planned announcement on new national monuments – was briefed on the incident, the White House said.
The president has approved federal aid to help California tackle the blaze, Governor Gavin Newsom said.
“No politics, no hand wringing, no kissing the feet. The president of the United States said, ‘Yes. What else do you need?’” he told reporters.
Incoming president Donald Trump has previously threatened to withhold wildfire aid from Democrat-run California.
Wildfires are an expected part of life in the US West and play a vital role in nature.
But scientists say human-caused climate change is altering weather patterns.
Southern California had two decades of drought that were followed by two exceptionally wet years, which sparked furious vegetative growth – leaving the region packed with fuel and primed to burn.
Numerous world leaders have extended their heartfelt condolences over the passage of Pope Francis.
Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis, has died at age 88. He died on Monday at 7:35am, a day after making a much-hoped-for appearance at Saint Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday
The recent news concerning Pope Francis, numerous world leaders have extended their heartfelt condolences, reflecting the deep respect and admiration the pontiff commands across nations and faiths.
As the spiritual head of over a billion Catholics and a respected moral voice on the world stage, any development concerning the Pope resonates far beyond the Vatican.
Iran
Iran offered condolences on Monday following the death of Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, at the age of 88.
“My colleagues have just informed me of the news… I offer my condolences to all Christians around the world,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said at a press briefing. Iran, a Muslim-majority country, maintains close ties with the Vatican.
Israel
Israeli President Isaac Herzog praised the deceased Pope Francis on Monday as “a man of deep faith and boundless compassion”.
“He rightly saw great importance in fostering strong ties with the Jewish world and in advancing interfaith dialogue as a path toward greater understanding and mutual respect,” the president said in a post on X.
United States Of America
US Vice President JD Vance said his “heart goes out” to Christians after Pope Francis died Monday.
“My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him,” he posted on X.
“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill.”
Vance, a Catholic convert, arrived in New Delhi on Monday after meeting the pontiff in the Vatican.
The pair had a brief private meeting on Sunday, the Vatican said, on the last day of the Republican’s visit to Rome.
The Argentine pontiff, leader of the Catholic Church since March 2013, spent 38 days being treated for double pneumonia in a Rome hospital before seeming to recover and leaving the facility on March 23.
His death came just a day after he delighted the crowds of worshippers at the Vatican on Easter Sunday with an appearance on the balcony at Saint Peter’s Basilica.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance were among the first to condole with Vatican city.
Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday hailed the late Pope Francis as a “defender” of “humanism and justice”, and praised his efforts to promote dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches.
Putin said Francis, who died on Monday, was a “wise” religious leader, “statesman” and “consistent defender of the high values of humanism and justice”, in a letter to the Vatican published by the Kremlin.
“During all the years of his pontificate, he actively promoted dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, as well as constructive interaction between Russia and the Holy See,” Putin added.
The Kremlin leader had met the pope three times — in 2013, 2015, and 2019.
The last time they spoke was in December 2021 by telephone, Russian state media reported, weeks before Moscow launched its offensive on Ukraine.
The pope had repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine.
In 2016, he met the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, in the first-ever meeting between the heads of the two churches.
That ended with the singing of a joint 10-page declaration, seen at the time as an important milestone in relations between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox branches of Christianity.
Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday mourned the death of Pope Francis, saying the Catholic leader had “prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians.”
“We grieve together with Catholics and all Christians,” Zelensky wrote on social media.
France
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday paid homage to Pope Francis, saying he had always been “on the side of the most vulnerable and the most fragile” and fought for “more justice”.
Speaking during a trip to the Pacific region, Macron expressed his “most sincere condolences to Catholics the world over” after the death of Francis who, he said, had stood for a “brotherly humankind”.
Spain
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday hailed Pope Francis’s “commitment to peace, social justice and the most vulnerable” after his death at the age of 88.
“I am sorry to hear of the death of Pope Francis. His commitment to peace, social justice and the most vulnerable leaves a profound legacy. Rest in peace,” the Socialist leader wrote on X.
Italy
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said “a great man has left us” after Pope Francis died on Monday.
“Pope Francis has returned to the Father’s home. It is deeply sad news, because a great man has left us,” Meloni said in a statement.
Germany
Germany’s incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday expressed “great sorrow” at Pope Francis’s death, describing him as a man “guided by humility and faith”.
The pope “will remain in our memories for his indefatigable commitment” to “the most vulnerable, for justice and for reconciliation,” he said.
Ireland
Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin hailed Pope Francis’s solidarity with the “poor, the marginalised, and the oppressed” after the pope died on Monday.
“Pope Francis’ long and distinguished papacy was marked by his unwavering commitment to the principles of compassion, peace and human dignity” said Martin, adding that he would be remembered for his “expression of pain and shame” about historic child abuses in the Catholic Church during his 2018 visit to Ireland.
India
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday he was “deeply pained” by the death of Pope Francis, saying that the pontiff had served the poor and offered hope to the suffering.
“Pope Francis will always be remembered as a beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage by millions across the world,” the Hindu-nationalist leader said in a statement. “I fondly recall my meetings with him and was greatly inspired by his commitment to inclusive and all-round development.”
Paris
The bells at Paris’s Notre-Dame cathedral rang out 88 times on Monday in honour of Pope Francis who died aged 88, an AFP reporter at the scene said.
The “88 rings for 88 years of life” were to be followed by a full ringing of the cathedral’s bells before a noon mass in Francis’s honour, followed by another in early evening, according to the Notre-Dame press office.
People walk in front of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral in Paris on December 7, 2024. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP)
Ethiopia
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent his “deepest condolences” after the death of Pope Francis on Monday.
“May his soul rest in eternal peace, and may his legacy of compassion, humility, and service to humanity continue to inspire generations to come,” Abiy wrote in a post on X.
Photo Combo: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Pope Francis
Egypt
The death of Pope Francis on Monday “is a profound loss for the entire world, as as he was a voice of peace, love and compassion,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said.
Extending his condolences, Sisi said the late Catholic leader was an exceptional global figure who “worked tirelessly to promote tolerance and build bridges of dialogue … and was a champion of the Palestinian cause, defending legitimate rights and calling for an end to conflict”.
Photo Combo: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Pope Francis
AFP
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Protests erupted in Jos, the Plateau State capital, on Monday morning over the continued killings of indigenous residents by gunmen suspected to be Fulani militants.
The demonstrations, led by Christian leaders including the state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Polycarp Lubo, commenced on Monday morning at the Fawvwei Junction community road, causing a heavy gridlock and stranding commuters.
The latest protest comes amid a surge in violent attacks by gunmen in various communities, with over 100 people killed in Bokkos and Bassa LGAS in the past two weeks.
“We are not happy over the continuous attacks and killings by gunmen in our communities. That’s why we have come out again to protest these happenings,” said Gyang Dalyop, one of the protesters.
Another protester, Hannatu Philip, called on the government to intervene before it spirals out of control.
The protesters brandishing placards with different inscriptions were seen marching towards the Rayfield Government House.
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