Officials in Los Angeles are warning people in the city to stay vigilant as strong winds are forecast in the coming days.
In the L.A County area 21 people are confirmed to have died as a result of the fires.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people are still under evacuation orders.
We’ve been hearing from those in the area who are originally from Carlow and Kilkenny – Brian Sheil was among those to have been on KCLR (listen back here).
Kilkenny man and visual effects expert Colbert Fennelly has been telling KCLR News that while he’s safe, his bags are packed in case he needs to make a fast get-away – he’s sent the following to our Edwina Grace;
“Things have been scary here with the fires over the last six days. Many friends lost their homes, and some kids’ schools burned down. I even packed my bags, clothes and just necessities ready to go in case I had to leave quickly. Normally, we don’t worry about evacuations, but on Wednesday, the Sunset fire near Hollywood was only four miles away. Luckily, firefighters were able to contain it with water-dropping planes and helicopters.
“On Tuesday, we had really strong winds—70 to 100 mph—so once the fires started, embers flew everywhere, even into neighborhoods. Fire crews were stretched thin, and my concern was that if embers reached our area or if there was another emergency, help might not be available right away. Even six days later, buildings are still catching fire and burning down.
“I’ve received a lot of messages from friends in Kilkenny and Ireland, and I’m thankful for their support. I haven’t had a chance to reply to everyone yet, but I will soon. We’re supposed to get more strong winds tonight, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that nothing else happens.”
While Carlow native and story-maker for various platforms, Marc-Ivan O’Gorman whom our Martin Quilty’s been catching up with
