Massive wildfire forces people to evacuate near Los Angeles PHOTO

Around 30,000 people have been forced to leave their houses due to a massive wildfire raging in Los Angeles.

The evacuation zone also includes the residence of US Vice President Kamala Harris, Caliber.Az reports via local media. 

The politician, who is currently in Washington, was not affected by the fire. The fire began in the Pacific Palisades area, near Santa Monica on January 7. Strong, dry winds, gusting at speeds exceeding 100 kilometres per hour, have contributed to the rapid spread of the flames. The fire has engulfed an area of 1,182 hectares. Airplanes and helicopters are being used to fight the fire, while bulldozers are clearing roads of vehicles abandoned during the evacuation.

US President Joe Biden is currently in California, having arrived to participate in the opening of a monument dedicated to Native Americans. The event has been postponed until next week due to the emergency. The president stated that the federal government will render any necessary assistance. A federal fund has been established to reimburse California for its firefighting expenses.

A rapidly growing wildfire raged across an upscale section of Los Angeles on January 7, destroying numerous buildings and creating traffic jams as more than 30,000 people evacuated, while a second blaze doubled in size some 30 miles inland.

At least 2,921 acres (1,182 hectares) of the Pacific Palisades area between the coastal towns of Santa Monica and Malibu had burned by the Palisades Fire, officials said, after they had already warned of extreme fire danger from powerful winds that arrived following extended dry weather.

A fire official told local television station KTLA that several people were injured, some with burns to faces and hands. The official added that one female firefighter had sustained a head injury.

The second blaze dubbed the Eaton Fire broke out some 30 miles (50 km) inland near Pasadena and doubled in size to 400 acres (162 hectares) in a few hours, according to Cal Fire.

Almost 100 residents from a nursing home in Pasadena were evacuated, according to CBS News. Video showed elderly residents, many in wheelchairs and on gurneys, crowded onto a smokey and windswept parking lot as fire trucks and ambulances attended.

By Naila Huseynova