Panic Residents Save Theirselves Due To Los Angeles Extreme Forest And Land Fires, The Route To A Safe Area Is Congested

Illustration of forest and land fires (karhutla). (Unsplash-John Towner)

JAKARTA - Kebakaran hutan dan lahan (karhutla) ekstrem melanda kawasan dataran tinggi Los Angeles AS menghanguskan rumah-rumah dan kemacetan lalu lintas pada pada Selasa 7 Januari waktu setempat. Sebanyak 30.000 orang terpaksa mengungsi akibat karhutla yang meluas dengan cepat.

"Kami merasa sangat beruntung saat ini karena tidak ada korban luka yang dilaporkan," kata Kepala Pemadam Kebakaran Los Angeles Kristin Crowley dalam konferensi pers, Rabu 8 Januari, dikutip dari Reuters.

Kristin menambahkan, sebanyak 25.000 orang dan 10.000 rumah terancam dampak dari karhutla di Los Angeles ini.

Api membakar setidaknya 2.921 hektare hutan dan lahan di wilayah Pacific Palisades yang terletak antara pemukiman pesisir Santa Monica dan Malibu.

Pejabat di Los Angeles telah mengeluarkan peringatan akan dampak meluasnya karhutla seiring angin kencang yang datang setelah cuaca kering yang berkepanjangan.

Wilayah Santa Monica di Los Angeles telah menerbitkan instruksi untuk warganya mengungsi ke pinggiran utara kota.

Para saksi melaporkan sejumlah rumah dan mobil terbakar imbas karhutla. Sementara penghuni beserta warga perbukitan Topanga Canyon menyelamatkan diri menjauh dari titik api.

Petugas pemadam kebakaran telah terjun berjibaku memadamkan api. Mereka mengerahkan pesawat dengan menyendok air dari laut untuk menyiramkannya ke titik-titik karhutla.

Sementara kendaraan darurat sempat mengalami kendala melewati wilayah terdampak. Buldoser akhirnya diterjunkan menggeser kendaraan yang ditinggalkan pengemudinya di jalan-jalan seiring munculnya kepanikan.

Kemacetan lalu lintas dari warga yang hendak menyelamatkan diri juga tak terelakkan lantaran karhutla menyebabkan terbatasnya jalur aman evakuasi hanya pada satu jalan utama yang mengarah dari ngarai ke pantai, dan satu jalan raya pesisir.

Saat matahari terbenam di Los Angeles kemarin, kobaran api oranye menjulang tinggi menerangi perbukitan yang mengarah ke Topanga Canyon.

Karhutla juga menghanguskan beberapa pohon di halaman Getty Villa, sebuah museum yang dipenuhi dengan karya seni tinggi. Namun, pihak museum mengabarkan, sebagian besar koleksi seni itu tetap aman karena semak-semak di sekitar bangunan dipangkas agar karhutla tidak makin menjalar.

JAKARTA - Extreme forest and land fires (karhutla) hit the Los Angeles, USA highlands, scorched houses and traffic congestion on Tuesday, January 7 local time. A total of 30,000 people were forced to evacuate due to the fast-spreading forest and land fires.

"We are feeling very lucky at this time because no injuries have been reported," Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told a news conference on Wednesday, January 8, quoted by Reuters.

Kristin added that as many as 25,000 people and 10,000 houses were threatened with the impact of forest and land fires in Los Angeles.

The fire burned at least 2,921 hectares of forest and land in the Pacific Palisades area, which is located between the coastal settlements of Santa Monica andwasnis.

Officials in Los Angeles have issued warnings of the impact of the expansion of forest and land fires as strong winds come after prolonged dry weather.

The Santa Monica area in Los Angeles has issued instructions for its citizens to flee to the northern suburbs of the city.

The witnesses reported that a number of houses and cars were burned down by forest and land fires. Meanwhile, residents and residents of the Topanga Mountains hills fled from the hotspots.

Firefighters have fallen to the ground to extinguish the fire. They deployed planes by mixing water from the sea to pour it into the points of forest and land fires.

Meanwhile, emergency vehicles had problems passing through the affected areas. Buldoser was finally deployed to shift the vehicle left by the driver on the streets as panic appeared.

Traffic congestion from residents who want to save themselves is also inevitable because forest and land fires cause limited evacuation safe routes to only one main road that leads from canyons to the coast, and one coastal highway.

As the sun sets in Los Angeles yesterday, the soaring orange flames illuminated the hills leading to the Typanga levy.

Karhutla also scorched several trees in Getty Villa's yard, a museum filled with high artwork. However, the museum reported that most of the art collections remained safe because the bushes around the building were trimmed so that forest and land fires did not spread further.