Firefighters are on the front lines. Photo courtesy of LA County firefighter and engineer Jeremy Oetman.
San Luis Obispo High School students should be well aware of the Los Angeles wildfires at this point. Los Angeles is facing intense wildfires that have been raging for almost a week. The Palisades and Eaton fires are the largest ones, having caused a lot of damage and heartbreak. Sadly, at least twenty four people have lost their lives, and more than twelve thousand buildings have been destroyed.
“It looks like it’s a warzone. It looks like a bomb has been dropped down here because city blocks are just… gone, and everything is rubble. In twenty years, I’ve never seen this much devastation as far as structure damage and deaths go,” said LA county firefighter and engineer Jeremy Oetman.
Firefighters are working around the clock to control these massive fires, but strong winds are making their job even harder. The Palisades Fire has burned through twenty four thousand acres and is only fourteen percent contained, while the Eaton Fire has scorched fourteen thousand acres with thirty three percent containment.
With the lack of resources that firefighters can use to fight the fires, the battle to stop them is harder than ever. Firefighters have been ordered to stay at their stations, even though they don’t have the necessary equipment to continue their jobs. They are essentially stuck in the pits of hell, away from their families, with little to no way of helping stop the fires. Los Angeles had actually cut the fire department’s budget by seventeen and a half million dollars before these fires had occurred.
“I hope that the community is helping everyone out down there and making sure everyone is safe. Incredible thanks to the firefighters who are working hard and trying to stop them all,” said freshman Sloan Retsek.
Authorities are warning that the next couple of days could be even more dangerous because of expected strong winds. They’re urging everyone to stay alert, follow evacuation orders, and keep an eye on official updates. The financial impact of these fires is huge, with estimates ranging from two hundred and fifty billion to two hundred and seventy five billion, potentially making it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
In these tough times, it’s important for the community to stick together, support each other, and stay safe.
Sources: nypost.com, thetimes.com, fire.ca.gov, cbsnews.com
