Donations flood evacuation center after Los Angeles fires
As chaotic wildfires razed homes around Los Angeles forcing thousands to flee, one evacuation shelter was being overwhelmed Thursday with donations.
The center at Pan Pacific Park, just south of Hollywood in the heart of Los Angeles, was having to turn away donations after kind-hearted locals brought cars full of food, clothing and toiletries.
"We appreciate the support, donations and volunteers, however do not need anything additional at this time," read a handwritten sign posted outside the shelter.
The Sunset Fire, which erupted Wednesday night in the affluent Hollywood Hills, just a few hundred meters (yards) from the storied theaters of Hollywood Boulevard, sparked an evacuation order for thousands of people living in the heart of America's entertainment capital.
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Some of those told to leave their homes -- a mixture of multi-million dollar mansions and small, rent-controlled apartments -- made their way to the city-run center.
"It exploded so quickly, I've never seen fire move that fast," Eric Calhoun, a city recreation director overseeing the site, told AFP.
But almost as soon as the evacuees started arriving, so did the donations, and the center was soon full to bursting with goods.
"I had to direct truckloads and truckloads to go to other sites," Calhoun said.
Evacuation orders for the Sunset Fire were lifted by Thursday, and by the afternoon the evacuation center had cleared out -- for now.
Other wildfires, including the Eaton Fire burning inland in the San Gabriel Valley and the Palisades Fire closer to the coast, have torched more than 30,000 acres (12,000 hectares) combined, destroyed more than 6,000 buildings and killed at least five people.
Despite the fire activity winding down from decreasing Santa Ana winds, Calhoun said emergency assistance was in a bit of a "holding pattern," as more wind activity was forecast for next week.