HARRY and Meghan’s mansion is in the wildfire red zone as severe winds threaten to cause more devastation in Los Angeles.
A red flag warning has been issued for southern California, including Montecito, where The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have a £24million mansion.
KCAL NewsHarry and Meghan Markle appeared at the World Central Kitchen in Pasadena[/caption]
Google EarthHarry and Meghan could be forced to flee their £24million mansion[/caption]
X/@CollinRuggThe fire broke out on January 7 and initially consumed less than 1,00 acres[/caption]
LA is bracing for catastrophic 70mph winds that are expected to pick up today sparking fears the blaze will spread across the region.
The Montecito Fire Department says the strong winds could cause fires to “grow rapidly and “behave erratically”, and has urged locals to be “ready to evacuate.”
This means that Harry and Meghan could be forced to flee their 9-bedroom mansion that is located 90 miles from LA.
Over the weekend The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met with victims of the “apocalyptic” wildfires that ripped through LA.
They served food and donated toys and essential supplies to the victims outside the World Central Kitchen in Pasadena.
The couple were accused of being “disaster tourists” by actor Justine Bateman after they were seen consoling those affected.
Meghan has also delayed the release of her eight-part Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, due to the devastating wildfires that have so far killed 24.
Strong Santa Ana winds – branded the Devil Winds – are expected to arrive Tuesday morning a week since the deadly infernos erupted.
Hurricane-force winds of 75 mph are possible from early Tuesday, with 50-70 mph gusts expected through Wednesday, the National Weather Service warned.
The wildfires have destroyed thousands of homes, burned more than 40,000 acres and killed at least 24 people.
A chilling 3D map shows how quickly the blaze decimated the area.
Now residents in LA face having their power cut today in a desperate attempt to prevent more wildfires from ravaging the city.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power asked users in high-risk fire areas to prepare for outages lasting over 48 hours.
The utilities authority said on Monday: “Los Angeles is in active fire response and local fire authorities may ask LADWP to de-energise power lines as a preventative measure, to help prevent wildfires and protect communities.”
LA Mayor Karen Bass said “urgent preparations” are being made for near hurricane-force winds predicted to peak on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, police are investigating a possible human cause in their probe into what caused the deadly fire.
Law enforcement sources told NBC cops are probing the possibilities of fireworks or unauthorised camping in the area.
Other lines of inquiry include accidental equipment-related ignition while arson has not been ruled out.
The two biggest wildfires, the Palisades and Eaton, erupted last week, fueled by intense winds.
On Monday, planes doused homes and hillsides with bright pink fire-retardant chemicals, while crews and fire engines were placed near particularly vulnerable spots with dry brush.
More than 8,500 firefighters attacked the fires from the air and on the ground, preventing conflagrations at either end of Los Angeles from spreading overnight.
Ground crew and several helicopters were working to contain the so-called Auto Fire, which had razed over 56 acres and was burning near a golf course but not yet threatening homes.
APA helicopter drops water while fighting the Auto Fire[/caption]
The wildfires have burnt over 40,000 acres
The devastating fire erupted a week ago
What caused the LA wildfires?
by Juliana Cruz Lima, Foreign News Reporter
THE devastating Palisades Fire, which has ravaged Los Angeles and claimed at least eight lives, is believed to have been reignited from scorch marks left by an earlier blaze that may have been sparked by New Year’s Eve fireworks.
According to an investigation by The Washington Post, remnants of the earlier fire, which burned in the Temescal Ridge area of the Santa Monica Mountains, could have been rekindled by strong winds six days later, setting the stage for one of California’s most destructive wildfires.
Satellite imagery and other data suggest the Palisades Fire began in the same area as the New Year’s Eve fire, which had been contained after burning four acres.
While the initial blaze was controlled in a few hours, the high winds and severe drought conditions leading up to the second fire created a perfect storm for reignition.
Michael Gollner, a fire scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, explained: “We know that fires rekindle and transition from smoldering to flaming.
“It’s certainly possible that something from that previous fire, within a week, had rekindled and caused the ignition.”
Nearby residents expressed frustration over what they described as a slower response time to the second fire.
Michael Valentine, who witnessed the start of both blazes, noted a stark difference.
“The first time around, the response was swift and impressive. The second, though, was slower and hindered by the high winds,” he said.
Valentine reported that when he and his wife called the Los Angeles Fire Department to report the Palisades Fire, the line was busy, and resources were delayed as crews responded to emergencies elsewhere in the city.
A helicopter attempting to deliver water early on was unable to operate due to the dangerous winds.
Valentine estimated it took 45 minutes before he saw any firefighting efforts, by which time the fire was spreading rapidly.
The delay led Valentine to take matters into his own hands, wetting down homes in his neighborhood and sustaining burns and injuries in the process.
Adding to the tragedy, local residents have pointed to the dangers of fireworks during drought conditions.
A nearby hiker, Darrin Hurrwitz, reported smelling smoke near the origin point an hour before the fire broke out but dismissed it when the scent disappeared.
Another resident blamed the New Year’s Eve revelers, saying: “You got to know better. It’s dry. There’s no precipitation… Then the Santa Anas came on Monday, and that’s what reignited the fire.”
While it remains uncertain whether the New Year’s Eve fire directly caused the Palisades Fire, both state and federal investigators continue to examine the burn scar area for clues.
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