"We are in a full emergency, the fires have gone out of control, fueled by strong winds. Fires often occur here, even large ones, but something like this has never been seen, it seems like the Apocalypse."
Thus begins the story of Claudio Carboni, a 43-year-old from Assemini who has lived in California for a decade , a witness to the inferno that has been devastating the Los Angeles area for days.
Carboni lives between San Diego and Santa Monica , northwest of the City of Angels, where he set up a business producing and delivering fresh pasta , with customers throughout the area, as far as Malibu, on the coast. "But these days my business is suffering heavy repercussions because of what's happening: entire neighborhoods evacuated, orders canceled, events canceled . And it couldn't be otherwise. The roads are closed, there are thousands of evacuees and police and firefighters everywhere. So many people have lost everything. A truly disastrous situation ."
The most affected areas, Carboni explains, are those of Pacific Palisades and Hollywood : «Every day I drive along roads and highways and all around me flames rise. An impressive scene . The other morning I passed through a stretch where you could see a small fire: when I returned, after an hour, that same fire had become a huge blaze with a front of hundreds and hundreds of meters. By evening the flames were spreading for kilometers . A shocking thing».
As mentioned, the fire was fueled by strong winds until it became uncontrollable. "They call them St. Anna winds . They come from the desert, strong and dry, they penetrate the canyons, where they channel and gain speed. And when they finally come out of the canyons and head toward the coast, the gusts are now very violent . A phenomenon that some here call a "recipe for disaster ".
What is happening is obviously putting the population to the test, both those who live in the elegant neighborhoods and those who live in the more popular areas. "Many houses - continues Carboni - have been destroyed by the fire, others have been evacuated for safety. The firefighters are working day and night, but in many places the flames are unstoppable . The authorities advise us to stay outside as little as possible and not to do outdoor activities. The air is unbreathable almost everywhere and you can feel it even in the areas furthest from the heart of the fires. For days I have had dry skin and throat. You even feel like it's harmful to breathe and even the sun is sometimes covered by smoke . In short, a dramatic situation."
As if the devastation caused by the gigantic fires were not enough, there are also security problems in the affected areas: «In some evacuated neighborhoods , thefts and looting are taking place . They are taking advantage of the emergency and the fact that those areas are currently deserted and the police forces are constantly engaged elsewhere».
When will it end? "At the moment the wind has dropped, but containing the fires remains difficult," says Carboni. "For this reason," he concludes, "the forecasts of the experts in the local media are not univocal. From what it seems, however, it will take weeks for the situation to resolve itself . And then the counting of the damages and the reconstruction will begin. But it will take months and millions and millions of dollars ."
