Fight to extinguish flames in California is far from over

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Fight to extingush flames in California far from overCalifornia’s governor declared a state-wide emergency on October 27 as a huge wind-fueled blaze forced evacuations and massive power blackouts, threatening towns in the famed Sonoma wine region. (Photo by Philip Pacheco / AFP)

Another day of rolling blackouts and evacuations across California. Fierce wildfires continue to burn, fueled by strong, hot winds.

And while crews are keeping pace containing flames in the northern and southern part of the state, it’s another story.

CGTN’s Ediz Tiyansan reports from Los Angeles.

Another day of rolling blackouts and evacuations across California. Fierce wildfires continue to burn, fueled by strong, hot winds.

And while crews are keeping pace containing flames in the northern and southern part of the state, it’s another story. Ediz Tiyansan reports from Los Angeles.

In the upscale Brentwood neighborhood in West LA where a few houses were burnt down on Monday, after the Getty fire spread to a large area in a matter of hours, nearly 10,000 houses are under threats.

It came very close to houses, which are now still under mandatory evacuation orders. Several roads, schools, and businesses in this area also remain closed.

Monday night saw a lull in the winds, and firefighters took that opportunity to prevent it from spreading overnight into Tuesday.

But the fire officials emphasize that it’s still far from being contained.

That’s because more red flag warnings will be up on Tuesday night, as the strong Santa Ana winds over 100 kph (62 mph) are expected to pick up.

And in those extreme weather conditions, it’s very likely to have the embers left from an inactive fire to be blown into a different area and trigger a new fire.

The Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, announced he was signing an emergency declaration to get more resources to help battle the blaze, which has destroyed at least eight homes and displaced thousands of people.

Many areas are still under mandatory evacuation order while others are now declared evacuation preparedness zone.

Roads, schools, and businesses in the area are still closed.

And even those living in other parts of the city have been feeling the consequences of this fire. Because of the significant deterioration in the air quality, more people choosing to stay home, if they can.

Meanwhile, the Kincade Fire in Northern California has spread to more than 30,000 hectares (74,132 acres), leading to one of the largest evacuations in the region affecting nearly 200,000 people.

Officials estimate that it will take more than a week to contain both fires.