A Los Angeles resident told of the start of the fires in California

A resident of Los Angeles (California) told "Izvestia" on January 9 about how a large-scale fire started.

It is specified that there is no electricity in the areas affected by the fire. In addition, the fire spreads very quickly - houses catch fire one after another like "matchboxes".

"It all started with the wind, it started to fell trees, and the next moment the fire started on the hillside behind me. All the houses on that side completely burned. My neighborhood completely burned down," shared local resident Don Reiman.

According to Reiman, his house is the only one that was able to survive the fire, the rest of the structures were reduced to rubble.

"My dad stayed there with a fire hose, he didn't want to leave. <...> He saved our house. Dad, you are my hero," the Los Angeles resident told Izvestia correspondent Nikolai Masterov.

The day before, Reuters reported that rescue crews fighting multiple wildfires in Los Angeles were running short of water. Earlier, on January 8, the current U.S. President Joe Biden declared a major disaster regime in the state of California due to forest fires.

Before that, January 7, emergency services of Los Angeles urged residents to be ready to evacuate due to raging wildfires in the state. NBC News television channel reported that the fire began in the neighborhood of Eaton Canyon. Strong winds are fueling the fire.

On the same day in Los Angeles declared a state of emergency because of the fire situation. It was reported that 27 thousand residents of Pacific Palisades are called for forced evacuation.

In addition, the evacuation zone included the residence of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who said she sympathized with all her heart with those affected by the fire. At the same time, CNN reported that the flames destroyed 2.9 thousand acres (more than 1,173 hectares) of land.