ロサンゼルス近郊の山火事、数千人に避難指示

【カマリロ（米国）ＡＦＰ＝時事】米カリフォルニア州ロサンゼルス近郊で発生した山火事で７日、数千人に避難指示が出された。すでに多くの家屋が急速に広がる炎にのみ込まれている。（写真は季節風「サンタアナの風」による山火事の消火活動。米カリフォルニア州ベンチュラ郡サンタポーラで）
　同州ベンチュラ郡カマリロ周辺で６日早朝に発火した山火事は、激しい季節風「サンタアナの風」によって最大５キロ離れた場所にまで火の粉が飛び、丘陵地、農地、住宅地などで新たな出火している。
　当局の報告によると、初期段階の調査で少なくとも１３２戸の家屋が焼失し、さらに８８戸が被害を受けている。これまでの焼損面積は８２９０ヘクタールとなった。
　同州のギャビン・ニューサム知事は被害を受けた地域を視察。ベンチュラ郡の最も被害の大きい地域に非常事態を宣言した。
　これまでに同郡で少なくとも４００世帯が避難したが、郡保安官によると２５０人の住民が自宅にとどまっている。保安官は「影響のある地域から離れるよう全員に強く勧告している」と述べた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/11/08-20:32）

Thousands of people were urged to flee an out-of-control wildfire burning around communities near Los Angeles on Thursday, with scores of homes already lost to the fast-moving flames.
Fierce seasonal winds had cast embers up to three miles (five kilometers) from the seat of the fire around Camarillo, with new spots burning on hillsides, farmland and in residential areas.
The Mountain Fire grew rapidly from a standing start early Wednesday, and by the following day had consumed 20,485 acres (8,290 hectares), with towering flames leaping unpredictably and sending residents scrambling.
The fire was only five percent contained as of Thursday evening, authorities said, although wind patterns were expected to favor firefighters through the night.
We've been up all night watching this. I haven't slept, Erica Preciado told one local broadcaster as she drove her family out of the danger zone.
We're just trying to get a safe place. I didn't even know what to take. I just have everything in my car, she said, gesturing tearfully to her packed vehicle.
Authorities said that based on initial inspections, at least 132 homes had been completely destroyed, with 88 more damaged by the fires.
One man told broadcaster KTLA he and his family had fled their home of 27 years, finding out later that it had been destroyed.
It's all gone, he said, his voice catching. It's all gone.
Dawn Deleon described how she had only moments to flee with her six dogs.
We watched the neighbors' houses burning and figured it was time to get out of there, she said.
We left and were just gone for five minutes and went back to get my phone, and the house was already on fire and gone.
- Winds to abate -
Ventura County Fire Department officials said they were throwing resources at the blaze in an area that is home to 30,000 people, but that changing wind patterns meant there was hope the fire could die down in the coming days.
Winds are subsiding over the lower elevations while remaining still gusty over the higher elevations, said Ariel Cohen of the National Weather Service.
By the time we get to 11:00 am (on Friday) the winds will further subside across the region, and we are not expecting any red flag warnings to be in effect for the area.
On Thursday, California Governor Gavin Newsom visited communities impacted by the fire and declared a state of emergency in the worst-affected area of Ventura County.
There, crews on the ground had defended homes with hose lines working alongside bulldozers that were trying to remove fuels.
Helicopter pilots worked throughout the night on Wednesday dropping water, said Ventura County fire captain Trevor Johnson. That was expected to continue on Thursday night.
Hoses ran dry for crews battling the flames at one point late Wednesday, Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said.
He said hundreds of fire trucks had been pumping water all night, putting a strain on resources.
We have been fighting fire actively now for 26 hours, and we found all of those fire trucks hooked up to all of those hydrants, and we drained water systems down, he told reporters.
That affected supplies higher up hillsides, and forced crews to shuttle water up to the blazes.
He said while it was not a common problem, it is known to happen in major incidents.
It's normal enough that we plan for it, so it's impactful, but it will be mitigated, he said.
- 'Very dangerous' -
At least 400 homes had been evacuated, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff said, adding that 250 residents had chosen to stay behind.
I urge everyone to stay out of the areas that are impacted. The fire is still very dangerous, he said.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but meteorologists had raised a Red Flag Warning and a rare Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) warning in the area, indicating dangerous fire conditions.
They said two years of above-average rainfall had sparked abundant growth of vegetation, which was now all bone-dry after a long, hot summer.
Electricity companies had cut power to tens of thousands of customers in the area -- a common strategy in California during high winds in a bid to reduce the risk of new fires from toppled power lines.