Ninety seven Indonesians get affected by Los Angeles wildfires: Govt

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Consulate General in Los Angeles has announced that the deadly wildfire ravaging certain areas of LA county this week has affected 97 Indonesian citizens and several members of the Indonesian diaspora.

In a statement on Saturday, the consulate officials recorded 60 affected Indonesians in Pasadena; 20 in Altadena, 10 in Sylmar, and seven in Calabasas.

During local firefighters' ongoing battle against the wildfires, the Indonesian Consul General in LA, Purnomo A Chandra, urges Indonesians in this most populous city of the US State of California to remain calm.

Chandra also called on them to stay alert and follow local authorities' directives.

Regarding the Los Angeles wildfires, on Tuesday, January 7, the Indonesian Consulate General in LA issued an early warning for all Indonesians residing in the county on WhatsApp and several social media platforms.

As of Thursday, January 9, at around 04.00 p.m. LA Time, several Indonesians affected by the impacts of the wildfires had followed the local authorities' mandatory evacuation, the statement said.

Along with other evacuees in Southern California, they are currently staying at temporary shelters that the local government provides.

Despite this uneasy situation, the Indonesian Consulate General in LA continues assisting those in need of non-emergency consular and immigration services and provides an emergency hotline + 1 213 590 8095.

Meanwhile, ANTARA quoted CNN on Sunday as reporting that "the coastal Palisades Fire is at least 11% contained but now moving inland toward Brentwood and other communities near the Getty Center and UCLA". Additionally, RIA Novosti reported that the death toll from the Los Angeles wildfires that had destroyed more than ten thousand buildings had risen from 11 to 13.