Four fires are currently ablaze in the state of California, destroying homes and businesses and scorching land in their path. Woolsey Fire is now one of the largest on record for Los Angeles County. Mobile homes, suburban areas and lavish celebrity mansions have been obliterated as the fire progresses toward the sea.
How did Woolsey Fire start?
The cause of the Woolsey Fire is still unknown, however, weather conditions have contributed to the rapid spread of the flames.
Seasonal Santa Ana winds have fanned fires across the state, as they blew in from mountain and desert areas.
Santa Anas are strong, dry winds that are pushed from east to west by high-pressure systems.
These winds have pushed flames along already dry underbrush, as hot temperatures have created the perfect atmosphere for wildfires.
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Currently, for Woolsey Fire, containment is at 47 percent, but residents are being warned that firefighters face an uphill battle for full containment.
Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said: ”We are not out of the woods yet.
“We still have some incredibly tough conditions ahead of us.”
Woolsey fire has killed two people, who were found in a car that had been overcome by flames.
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Scorching more than 150 square miles, hundreds of homes have been obliterated on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
Worryingly, the blaze reached part of Santa Susana Field Laboratory, a research site that had a partial nuclear meltdown in 1959.
This meltdown contaminated the soil and groundwater with radioactive particles and carcinogens.
State and federal officials believe that no toxic chemicals were released into the air following the fire reaching the site.
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In a statement, the Department of Toxic Substances Control said its scientists and toxicologists had “reviewed information about the fire’s location and do not believe the fire has caused any releases of hazardous materials that would pose a risk to people exposed to the smoke.”
However, some activists say the fire could have caused toxins to mix with both smoke and ash in the air.
Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles president Dr Robert Dodge said: We know what substances are on the site and how hazardous they are.
“These toxic materials are in SSFL’s soil and vegetation, and when it burns and becomes airborne in smoke and ash, there is a real possibility of heightened exposure for area residents.”
Firefighters continue to battle Woolsey Fire alongside Hill Fire, Camp Fire and newly ignited Sierra fire, as more than 300,000 residents remain under evacuation orders across the state.