Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Massive wildfires roaring through the Los Angeles area left neighborhoods in ruins Wednesday, killing at least two people and threatening landmarks made famous by Hollywood as desperate residents escaped through flames that kept growing with help from hurricane-force winds.
With thousands of firefighters already attacking the flames, the Los Angeles Fire Department put out a plea for off-duty and out-of-state firefighters to help. The winds temporarily stopped aircraft from dumping water from above until they were able to resume flights. In Palisades Village, the public library, two major grocery stores, a pair of banks and several boutiques were destroyed.
“When I opened my door, it smelled like I was living inside of a fireplace,” she said. “Then I also started to see the ash. And I’ve never seen that in my life. Like raining ash.”Flames moved so quickly that many had little time to escape. Police sought shelter inside their patrol cars, and residents at a senior living center were pushed in wheelchairs and hospital beds down a street to safety in the foothills northeast of LA.
Dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, where there’s been little rain so far this season. Southern California has not seen more than 0.1 inches of rain since early May. As it grew, the fire burning in the Pacific Palisades became the most destructive fire in the modern history of the city of Los Angeles.
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