LOS ANGELES, 11 Oct 2017:
The death toll from the devastating wildfires, which hit multiple regions in the western state of California, has risen to 15 as more casualties were confirmed yesterday.
More than 3,000 people remain in shelters as 17 wildfires burned through 115,000 acres of land across California.
Wildfires statewide have left at least 2,000 structures destroyed, officials from California Office of Emergency Services said at a press conference.
In Anaheim Hills region, the wildfire hit a neighbourhood on Monday, destroying a number of houses. All people in the neighbourhood had fled their residences.
“While I was driving home, I saw the beginning smoke. And we got home, and said let’s pack. And within 15 minutes there were flames at our neighbor’s house, two houses down, on all that brush, so we stopped packing and we drove away,” said a woman, whose house were ruined in fire.
In California, wildfires are becoming a common occurrence, leaving residents worried about the future of the region.
“We get these fires from time to time. It’s becoming a common occurrence. Yeah, I’m worried about it. We are thinking about selling and moving,” said the woman’s husband.
Now the fire has been controlled in the couple’s neighborhood, and life has returned back to normal. However, the devastating aftermath is still very much apparent leaving them to question what lies ahead for their beloved home.
“Because we ‘re already evacuated, we can’t stay. So the ones that didn’t leave, they can stay. but It smells really bad in my house, I don’t really want to stay. It smells awful,” the woman added.
The deadly fires in California have caused serious damage to the state, and thousands of people were forced to evacuate, with a large number of homes and commercial facilities, including hospitals and even parks, completely destroyed.
– Reuters