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Ten people died in Los Angeles' fire as National Guard called in

January 10, 2025 / 10:35 AM
Ten people died in Los Angeles' fire as National Guard called in
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Sharjah24 - AFP: Authorities in Los Angeles reported that at least 10 people had been killed by massive wildfires that destroyed entire neighborhoods and forced thousands of residents to flee, as California's National Guard soldiers prepared to go to the streets to help put an end to the chaos.
News of the growing toll, announced late Thursday by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, came as swaths of the United States' second-largest city lay in ruins.

A vast firefighting operation continued into the night, bolstered by water-dropping helicopters thanks to a temporary lull in winds, even as new fires continued to spring up.

With reports of looting, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said a nighttime curfew was planned, and the state's National Guard was on hand to patrol affected areas.

Governor Gavin Newsom said the service members were part of a thousands-strong deployment of state personnel.

"We're throwing everything at our disposal -– including our National Guard service members –- to protect communities in the days to come," he said.

"And to those who would seek to take advantage of evacuated communities, let me be clear: looting will not be tolerated."

Luna said his officers were patrolling evacuation zones and would arrest anyone who was not supposed to be there.

But with such a huge area scorched by the fires, evacuees feared not enough was being done and some were taking matters into their own hands.

Nicholas Norman mounted an armed vigil at his home after seeing suspicious characters in the middle of the night.

"I did the classic American thing: I went and got my shotgun and I sat out there, and put a light on so they knew people were there," he said.
January 10, 2025 / 10:35 AM

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