California wildfires claim at least 5 lives, force thousands to evacuate

Wildfires in southern California, fueled by strong winds and dry conditions, continue to devastate the region, leaving at least five dead and over 2,000 structures such as homes and shops damaged or destroyed.

As of Thursday, the fires have prompted the evacuation of more than 150,000 people, with countless homes reduced to ash in the aftermath.

The fires began spreading rapidly on Tuesday, and by Wednesday night, flames had reached the iconic Hollywood Hills area, causing widespread destruction. According to local media footage, fires continued to spread across multiple districts.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said on Thursday that at least six separate fires were still burning across Los Angeles County, with no effective containment in sight. The fire was most severe in areas like Pacific Palisades in the west of Los Angeles County and Altadena in the northeast, where areas consumed by fire had exceeded 69 and 42 square kilometers, respectively.

In addition to the fires, more than 360,000 households and businesses in California were left without power, with over 200,000 of those outages occurring in Los Angeles County alone.

President Joe Biden approved a Major Disaster declaration for California on Wednesday, which unlocks immediate and long-term relief for residents and businesses impacted by the ongoing wildfires.

Liu Xiaoqian, a China Central Television (CCTV) reporter who entered the fire zone, described the catastrophic scene.

"This appears to be a residential building, roughly four stories high, and it has been completely burned down. What's even more dangerous is the small embers it is emitting, which are spreading toward nearby areas. In front of the building, there are many power lines and utility poles, so if the poles catch fire, it could cause even greater destruction," said Liu.

The air was thick with the scent of burning debris, and loud crackling noises from the fires echoed through the region, Liu said, adding the area was like a war zone.

Liu also reported that some areas had become so dangerous that police couldn't secure entire neighborhoods, and fire crews had been overwhelmed.

"In some of the wildfire-affected areas we previously visited, the police would cordon off specific zones. However, with fires raging across countless streets in this neighborhood, neither the police nor firefighters have had the chance to secure the area. As a result, it is now completely open," said Liu.

The U.S. National Weather Service warned that strong winds could still fan the flames, particularly in southern-facing foothills. The Fire Weather Watch issued by Los Angeles County is expected to remain in effect through Friday night.

California wildfires claim at least 5 lives, force thousands to evacuate

China's National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration on Thursday announced the launch the National Whole Grain Action Plan, a comprehensive initiative aimed at enhancing the whole grain industry, encouraging healthy grain consumption, and bolstering food security to a higher standard.

The action plan mainly focuses on the promotion and guidance of whole grain consumption, popularization of whole grain nutrition and health knowledge, improvement of industry standards and quality management and the cultivation of new varieties of whole grain raw materials rich in active substances and excellent edible sensory quality.

"We will implement the whole grain industry upgrade action, guide the production of whole grain food, encourage whole grain food enterprises to transform or build new processing production lines and develop series products, and improve the adaptability of the supply and demand of the whole grain food industry. We will make strides to cultivate a group of leading whole grain food processing enterprises with core competitiveness," said Wang Hong, spokesman of the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, at a press conference in Beijing.

Whole grains are grains with complete caryopsis structure after removing inedible parts such as the outer shell, which retains the natural nutrition and active substances in the grains to the maximum extent. Whole grain food is made from whole grains as the main raw material and contains a certain proportion of whole grains.

At present, the proportion of whole grain consumption in China's grain consumption is less than one percent, while the proportion of whole grain consumption in some developed countries has reached 20-35 percent.

"By 2035, people will become significantly more aware of whole grains and the proportion of whole grains in residents' dietary consumption will increase markedly. There will be more abundant and high-quality whole grain products that meet the nutritional and health needs of residents. The supply and consumption of whole grain foods will achieve a dynamic balance," Wang said.

A new whole grain industry development pattern will be formed with a complete chain, reasonable structure, adaptation of supply and demand, and continuous upgrading by 2035, he said.

China unveils plan to boost whole grain production, enhance food security