Priyanka grateful for her 'family's safety', expresses sadness over devastation caused by LA fires

by IANS |

Mumbai, Jan 16 (IANS) Indian actress Priyanka Chopra has said that her heart is “so heavy” after the devastation the Los Angeles wildfires has caused and shared that she is deeply grateful for her family’s safety.

Priyanka took to her Instagram, where she posted a string of pictures of the destruction caused by the wildfires.

She wrote: “I (heart emoji) you LA. My heart is so heavy. While I’m deeply grateful for my family’s safety, so many of our friends, colleagues, and fellow Angelenos have lost so much. These fires have displaced countless families and devastated entire communities, leaving an overwhelming need for rebuilding and support.”

The actress added: “To the firefighters, first responders, and volunteers risking everything—you are true heroes.”

“Over the past week, I’ve come across countless GoFundMe pages and organizations working tirelessly to provide relief. If you’re able, please consider donating to those who have lost everything or supporting organizations like @cafirefound, @baby2baby, @americanredcross and so many more making a difference on the ground. Every contribution, no matter the size, truly helps. I’ll keep adding pages as I come across them. Link in my bio for more details.”

On January 15, firefighters continued to work overnight to contain wildfires in greater Los Angeles, with "particularly dangerous" winds warning in effect through Wednesday.

Critical to extremely critical fire weather conditions will continue for coastal Southern California including the areas of the wildfires in Los Angeles County, said the US National Weather Service (NWS) on Tuesday.

According to NWS the "particularly dangerous" situation warning went into effect Tuesday and will last through noon Wednesday for swaths of Los Angeles and Ventura counties due to moderate to locally strong Santa Ana winds, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Considering the extremely dry state of the fuels, recent fire behaviour, and the strength of the winds, this is a particularly dangerous situation. There is a high risk for large fires, rapid fire spread, and long range spotting," said NWS.

Fierce wildfires across the Los Angeles area have killed at least 25 people, destroyed more than 12,300 structures and scorched more than 40,600 acres.

The two largest fires -- the Palisades and Eaton wildfires -- were 17 per cent and 34 per cent contained respectively as of Tuesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.