City of Angels aflame for fourth day

[Anchor]

A massive wildfire in Los Angeles, USA, has been ongoing for four days.

It has burned an area equivalent to about a quarter of Seoul, and the flames are still not under control.

We will connect to the KBS reporting team on the scene of the wildfire.

Reporter Kim Kyung-soo! The place you are at is one of the locations where this wildfire first started, right?

[Reporter]

The LA wildfire started simultaneously in five locations, and this area is Altadena, near the Korean residential area where the 'Eaton Fire' began.

As I approached this area, I could smell the burning trees strongly from far away on the highway.

Currently, an evacuation order has been issued, and all residents have left the town.

The smoke from the wildfire has engulfed the city, and the cars left behind by residents are covered in ash.

When combining the damage areas from this fire and the Westside Beach Palisades fire, it amounts to about a quarter of the area of Seoul.

So far, 11 confirmed deaths have been reported, with 6 of the fatalities occurring in the Eaton area alone.

The estimated damage from the wildfire is projected to reach a record high of 80 trillion won, surpassing the damage from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, although it is in a different country.

[Anchor]

Yes, there are predictions that this will be recorded as the worst wildfire in American history, and I hear that police and military have been deployed in the evacuated areas?

[Reporter]

After the residents left, people began to appear trying to loot empty houses and stores.

As looting became rampant, a nighttime curfew was imposed in the evacuated areas, including where I am, and the National Guard has also been mobilized.

So far, more than 20 people have been arrested on suspicion of looting.

The city is in a state of silence, but fake news is spreading on social media, claiming that immigrants started the fire.

The flames are still not easily contained, and with dry weather, strong winds are forecasted for next week, raising concerns among residents.

There are many homes of Hollywood stars in the Los Angeles area, and several actors, including Mel Gibson and former Major League player Park Chan-ho, have also lost their homes to the fire.

Acts of kindness for the victims continue, with Sharon Stone and Halle Berry stepping up to donate.

This has been a report from the Los Angeles wildfire scene.