Los Angeles wildfires: Azerbaijani citizens safe so far, says consul

The Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles has not received any reports regarding Azerbaijani citizens injured during the recent wildfires in Los Angeles County, US.

Vugar Gurbanov, Azerbaijan's Consul General in Los Angeles, confirmed this to local media, stating that the consulate regularly inquires with American authorities about potential Azerbaijani casualties, per Caliber.Az.

“As of 9:30 local time (21:30 Baku time) on January 13, 2025, no information has been provided about injured Azerbaijani citizens. If any Azerbaijani citizens are among those evacuated or in temporary shelters and require assistance, we expect to receive updates from shelter authorities,” Gurbanov said.

The Consulate General urged Azerbaijani citizens in need of urgent consular assistance to contact their hotline at +1 (310) 923-4540.

Meanwhile, wildfires continue to devastate Los Angeles County, with California authorities yet to utilize military resources offered by the Pentagon. Patrick Ryder, a spokesperson for the US Department of Defense, stated that available support includes 10 Navy helicopters equipped with water tanks and 500 Marines on standby. However, state authorities have not decided to deploy these resources.

According to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner's Office, at least 24 people have died, and over a dozen are still missing. Wildfires have consumed approximately 45 square miles (116.5 square kilometres) of densely populated areas, with over 12,300 buildings destroyed.

Mandatory evacuation orders remain in place for about 105,000 residents, while another 87,000 are under evacuation warnings. Thousands of firefighters are battling the flames, exacerbated by strong winds and water shortages.

Initial investigations suggest the wildfires may have been sparked by a broken wire on a power line associated with Edison International near the Eagle Rock Sylmar area. The fires, which began on January 8, have prompted a major disaster declaration for the state, with estimated damages ranging between $52 billion and $57 billion.

By Tamilla Hasanova