Burglars Exploit Power Outages to Disable Alarms
"20 Suspects Arrested for Looting and Theft After Wildfire"
In Los Angeles (LA), the largest city in the western United States, a wildfire that broke out on the 7th (local time) is still not under control, and burglars are taking advantage of the chaos to rampantly loot empty houses.
On the 9th (local time), LA County police reported, as covered by NBC News and others, that burglars are targeting empty homes left vacant as residents evacuated to escape the wildfire. LA County police stated that such incidents are occurring throughout the county. The burglars are exploiting power outages caused by the fire, which have disabled home alarms and security cameras, to commit these crimes. In response, local police have increased patrols to prevent looting.
Fire scene in Eaton Canyon area, Altadena, California, USA on the 8th (local time). Photo by UPI Yonhap News.
Robert Luna, LA County Sheriff, said, "Since the wildfire outbreak, we have arrested 20 suspects involved in looting and theft," warning, "We will never tolerate illegal acts taking advantage of the wildfire crisis." He added, "We are actively patrolling to protect the community from looting and crime," and noted, "Any outsiders wandering in areas under mandatory evacuation orders will be subject to arrest."
Additionally, there have been reports of arson fires in areas not affected by the wildfire. Andrew Huberman, a well-known podcaster residing in LA, posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) showing an arson scene on Santa Monica Pico Boulevard, not far from the wildfire-affected area of Pacific Palisades. He said, "People are setting fires in areas not damaged by the wildfire," adding, "The arson is burning nearby trees." Many, including Elon Musk, commented on the video expressing dismay at the situation.
Meanwhile, there are grim forecasts that this LA wildfire will record the highest damage costs among all wildfires in history. On the 9th, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) cited research by Jimmy Bullard, a JP Morgan analyst, estimating that the economic losses from the LA wildfire could reach $50 billion (approximately 73 trillion KRW) so far. This amount is more than double the previous estimate from the day before. WSJ estimated that insurers will have to cover about $20 billion (approximately 29.2 trillion KRW) of the damages. The highest insured loss from a wildfire in the U.S. to date was from the 2018 Northern California wildfires, with insurance losses reaching $12.5 billion (approximately 18.25 trillion KRW).
According to foreign media such as the Associated Press and CNN, as of 9 p.m. on the 9th, five large wildfires are ongoing in LA County. The death toll stands at 10, and the number of victims is expected to rise. The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in LA reported that there have been no confirmed casualties among Koreans due to this fire so far.
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