The US Department of Health and Human Services has declared a public health emergency in the state of California to deal with the health impacts of ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles County.
The Consulate General of Bulgaria in Los Angeles announced this on its "Facebook" page.
The declaration of the emergency follows the Major Disaster Declaration announced by President Joe Biden and provides healthcare providers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) greater flexibility in meeting the urgent health needs of the beneficiaries of the respective health insurances.
A curfew has been declared in the fire-affected areas of Los Angeles “Palisades“ and “Eaton“, the Consulate General of Bulgaria in the city announced on its “Facebook“ page.
County Sheriff Robert Luna announced at a press conference that a curfew has been introduced in the fire-affected areas “Palisades“ and “Eaton“, which will be in effect in the time range from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. (local time – 4:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Bulgarian time – ed.). The measure is being implemented to increase public safety, protect property, and prevent theft and robbery in mandatory evacuation zones.
The National Guard has currently deployed 400 personnel to assist with road closures and “critical infrastructure protection“ in evacuation zones. Additional National Guard personnel are expected to arrive tonight or tomorrow at the latest.
The Consulate General of Bulgaria in Los Angeles notes that compliance with the curfew and instructions from local authorities is mandatory. Local residents are urged not to forget their identification documents at home.
A drone that flew without permission over the fire-ravaged neighborhoods of Los Angeles has hit and damaged a firefighting plane, the city's fire department said today, quoted by AFP.
The plane “Super Scooper“ (Bombardier 415) will have to remain on the ground for repairs until Monday, said the head of the service Anthony Marone during a press conference.
The pilots were unaware of the collision, which left a fist-sized hole in one wing, and returned without incident to the airport, where technicians discovered the consequences of the incident in the sky over the devastated neighborhood “Pacific Palisades“.
“We only have two such planes. "It's important to understand that if you fly a drone over these fires, all air operations will be suspended," Marone said, adding that the practice is illegal and dangerous.
“If you think it's fun to fly drones over these areas, you will be arrested, prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law,” Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.
The fires have been ravaging Los Angeles since Tuesday and have so far claimed at least 10 lives, destroyed more than 10,000 buildings and forced the evacuation of more than 180,000 people. Damage from the blazes is estimated at more than $150 billion. dollars.