California: Fierce wildfires set luxury mansions ablaze (video)

STORY: A forest fire is currently raging south of LA, in the US state of California. In Laguna Niguel around 20 houses fell victim to the flames and 80 hectares of land were destroyed. The place is one of the more affluent areas in Orange County. Many residents had to leave their homes. Although the fire is relatively small compared to other large wildfires in the western states, it is spreading rapidly up the area’s steep hills with the strong coastal winds. Videos posted to social media showed the homes of multi-million dollar estates with orange flames and plumes of black smoke overhead. The streets fleeing the flames were not always as empty as in these mobile phone pictures. Local residents reported that the main access routes were often blocked. Evacuations have been ordered for about 100 homes, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. California is suffering from a historic drought made worse by climate change. The vegetation, which normally burns slowly, is so sparse that the flames can spread rapidly.