NEW YORK, January 9. /TASS/. Tens of thousands of residents have been told to evacuate wildfire-affected areas of Los Angeles, County Sheriff Robert Luna has told reporters.
"That's nearly 180,000 people in Los Angeles County that are currently under evacuation orders, with another close to 200,000 residents that are under evacuation warnings. I cannot emphasize enough that I urge residents that are asked to evacuate to follow our warnings," he said.
About two dozen looters have been arrested since the disaster broke out, the official said.
"I talked about the 20 arrests that have been made so far. Unfortunately, I do expect that to go up. We're not going to tolerate that kind of activity," the sheriff said.
According to latest reports, five major wildfires are raging in Los Angeles County, with flames engulfing a total of almost 29,000 acres of land. Only two of the wildfires have been partially contained. Over 1,000 buildings have been destroyed as a result of the fires, including some in the city's most posh districts. Among the celebrities who lost their estates due to the wildfires are Hunter Biden, the son of the outgoing US president, as well as actress and model Paris Hilton.
Unfavorable weather conditions, namely strong winds and dry weather, are expected to continue until at least Friday. Local authorities have requested the assistance of firefighters from neighboring counties, as well as emergency services from the states of Washington, Oregon, and Nevada.