A China Media Group (CMG) reporter recorded the "war zone-like" wildfires raging in the north of Los Angeles in California, the United States, on Wednesday night.
Multiple major wildfires raging across Los Angeles County, the most populous U.S. county, has killed at least five people and damaged at least 1,100 buildings, authorities said Wednesday.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate due to a fast-moving wildfire in California.
According to the CMG reporter Liu Xiaoqian, fire has been burning all day at multiple locations in the area on Wednesday, and local residents have received evacuation messages.
"This road is now completely closed, with access restricted to fire engines. A strong smell of burning fills the air, creating a scene reminiscent of a war zone. You can hear the crackling sound of fires raging," said Liu on site.
The video footage from Liu shows widespread destructions caused by the fire, with numerous buildings, vehicles, and road signs reduced to ruins. Dense smoke and fire flames can be seen along the roads.
According to Liu, the vast area affected by the fire means that the local fire department has resources only to deal with large-scale blazes.
"The wildfire currently sweeping across multiple areas of Los Angeles is the most severe one the city has ever experienced. Scenes like this large-scale fire are just the beginning, as the fire is spreading in all directions across the city. At present, firefighters can only focus on containing large-scale fires like this one to prevent further spread," he said.
U.S. President Joe Biden decided to cancel his scheduled trip to Italy to "remain focused on directing the full federal response" to California wildfires, a White House spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday night.
CMG reporter experience "war zone-like" wildfires in LA
CMG reporter experience "war zone-like" wildfires in LA
A 25 percent import tariff on all foreign-built vehicles entering the United States has raised serious concerns for manufacturers in South Africa.
Automotive giants like Mercedes and BMW have long used South Africa as a base for global exports -- but those plans may be shifting into reverse gear after the U.S. announced the punitive measures.
"If you take, for example, BMW, 97 percent of the X3 that we are producing in Rosslyn is exported out of the country. We only sell 3 percent in South Africa, and there's a huge number of those vehicles that also go into the U.S. So there are companies in South Africa that are purely here not because they are selling vehicles in South Africa; they are here to produce vehicles for the global market, and it's important for them to remain globally competitive," said Mike Mabasa, CEO of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa.
U.S. automaker Ford, which has deep roots in South Africa, is also in the crosshairs.
The company recently invested over 300 million U.S. dollars to upgrade its Silverton plant in Pretoria, South Africa, for the production of the world's only plug-in hybrid Ranger, which has just entered production but could face delays or restrictions.
"If an American citizen wants to buy specifically a Ford Ranger that is a plug-in hybrid, they can only place an order in South Africa, nowhere else in the world. So, that means, obviously, the capacity of Ford to be able to produce those vehicles in big volumes is going to be constrained, because Americans are going be looking at another Ford that is produced in another country, or even in the United States," said Mabasa.
South Africa has long enjoyed duty-free automotive exports to the U.S. under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, but that relationship now hangs in the balance.
A sharp shift in U.S. foreign policy threatens to derail an industry that employs thousands and contributes around 5 percent to the country's economy.
"We produce less than 1 percent of global automotive vehicles, so to say. So, in reality, the impact on us is likely to be more disproportionate than those of our peers that produce at the same level. And the risk is actually created -- a concentration risk -- in countries that have greater capacity and are building more; in those countries will be able to absorb some of this," said Parks Tau, South Africa's minister of trade and industry.
Amid growing concerns about overreliance on the U.S. market, Amith Singh, national manager for manufacturing at Nedbank Commercial Bank, emphasized the importance of tapping into regional trade opportunities.
"I think we need to make better use of some of our local agreements, our African continental agreements. How do we leverage that? How do we partner with the government and private sector to start benefiting the countries and the economies aside from the United States? So, those could be the catalyst to drive our localization projects; it could be what we need to drive the African economy as opposed to being completely reliant on the States (United States)," he said.
South Africa is for now standing firm in its decision not to retaliate against steep U.S. import tariffs, set to take effect in just a few days.
Officials in Pretoria acknowledge the challenges posed by the current U.S. administration but are pursuing a diplomatic approach in hopes of maintaining stable relations and preserving the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
US tariffs rock South Africa’s auto industry
