California fires: Biden cancels final official overseas trip

California [US], January 10: US President Joe Biden has called off a trip to Rome and the Vatican to monitor the fire situation in California's Los Angeles area.
Some parts of the famed film hub of Hollywood are also threatened. Several entertainment celebrities are among those who have lost their homes or been forced to flee. Report says five major blazes in the region have destroyed nearly 1,900 structures and put 130,000 people under evacuation orders.
Germany, too, is worried about two of its landmark buildings in the Palisades, which hold great cultural significance: the Thomas Mann House and Villa Aurora.
Villa Aurora, an elaborate Spanish-style villa from 1927 that was once an intellectual center for people who fled Nazi Germany, is especially at risk, as it is located in the immediate vicinity of the fires.
"The destruction of these important cultural sites would be a cultural catastrophe. They are symbols of exile and the freedom of art," Federal Culture Commissioner Claudia Roth told the German press agency DPA.
The wildfires raging in the Los Angeles region have triggered air and dust advisories for millions of people across Southern California, with thick clouds of smoke and ash filling the sky.
The advisories were issued for 17 million people, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management district.
Air quality in regions near the fires was most affected, with an index of 173 measured in East Los Angeles, for example - 123 points above what is considered the maximum level for good air quality.
Medical experts have often warned of the deleterious effects of wildfire smoke and the fine particulate matter it contains on human health.
The smoke can cause a range of respiratory and cardiovascular issues, while toxic chemicals from burning structures can also contribute to illness and health problems.
Source: Times of Oman