LOS ANGELES: A wildfire raged in a neighborhood northwest of Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the US, on Saturday after forcing the evacuation of nearby residents and threatening homes.
Fire officials in Burbank ordered residents of about 200 houses to leave immediately as the so called La Tuna Fire, a 2,000-acre blaze, tore through nearby brush and triggered the closure of a section of the 210 Freeway, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an alert.
“Due to erratic fire behavior, driven by strong, gusting winds, we are not able to give a firm prediction on all areas potentially at risk,” the department said.
The area was under a red flag warning from the National Weather Service until at least Saturday evening as temperatures were expected to climb above 37.8 degrees Celsius with strong winds and low humidity.
Photos and video on social media early on Saturday showed smoke billowing from the blaze as it lit up the sky.
“It’s snowing ash from the Burbank fire, there was a huge pop followed by my power going out,” said Cory Pratt, a filmmaker, on Twitter.
No injuries or property damage were reported, the Los Angeles Times reported.
More than 644 km north, the so-called Ponderosa Fire burned 3,715 acres and destroyed 30 homes in Butte County, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders to residents of some 500 homes in the area, officials said. The blaze, which erupted on Tuesday from a campfire that was started outside a designated area, was 40 percent contained.
California Gov. Jerry Brown issued an emergency declaration on Friday to free up additional resources to battle the blaze.
The man charged with starting the fire, John Ballenger, made his first court appearance in Butte County Superior Court on Friday, District Attorney Michael Ramsey said.
Ballenger was charged with two counts of arson and was ordered held on a $1 million bond, Ramsey said.
In Montana, Gov. Steve Bullock declared a state of disaster on Friday due to wildfires as dozens raged across tens of thousands of acres during one of the worst fire seasons in state history.
Wildfires in the US West have burned more than 7.1 million acres since the beginning of the year, about 50 percent more than during the same time period in 2016, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Residents ordered to leave as wildfire rages in Los Angeles
Residents ordered to leave as wildfire rages in Los Angeles
Italian PM pledges to deepen cooperation with African states
- The plan, launched in 2024, aims to promote investment-led cooperation rather than traditional aid
ADDIS ABABA: Italy pledged to deepen cooperation with African countries at its second Italy-Africa summit, the first held on African soil, to review projects launched in critical sectors such as energy and infrastructure during Italy’s first phase of the Mattei Plan for Africa.
The plan, launched in 2024, aims to promote investment-led cooperation rather than traditional aid.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addressed dozens of African heads of state and governments in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and reiterated that a successful partnership would depend on Italy’s “ability to draw from African wisdom” and ensure lessons are learned.
“We want to build things together,” she told African heads of state. “We want to be more consistent with the needs of the countries involved.”
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Italy had provided Africa with a gateway to Europe through these partnerships.
“This is a moment to move from dialogue to action,” he said.
“By combining Africa’s energetic and creative population with Europe’s experience, technology, and capital, we can build solutions that deliver prosperity to our continents and beyond.”
After the Italy-Africa summit concluded, African leaders remained in Addis Ababa for the annual African Union Summit.
Kenyan writer and political analyst Nanjala Nyabola said tangible results from such summits depend on preparations made by countries.
African governments often focus on “optics instead of actually making summits a meaningful engagement,” she said.
Instead of waiting for a list of demands, countries should “present the conclusions of an extended period of mapping the national needs” and engage in dialogue to determine how those needs can be met.
Since it was launched two years ago, the Mattei Plan has directly involved 14 African nations and has launched or advanced around 100 projects in crucial sectors, including energy and climate transition, agriculture and food security, physical and digital infrastructure, healthcare, water, culture and education, training, and the development of artificial intelligence, according to the Italian government.
