Mysterious 'drones' spotted flying over California wildfires as blazes wreak havoc – The Mirror US
Fast-moving wildfires are wreaking havoc across southern California, with thousands evacuated around Los Angeles' exclusive Pacific Palisades area.
At least five people have been killed and 30,000 evacuated, with the area of the fire continuing to rapidly expand.
But some witnesses to the blaze claim to have seen what appear to be “drones” or some other unidentified aerial phenomena skimming above the flames.
One news broadcast about the fire became notorious after CNN reporter Nick Watt, who was almost hit by a piece of burning debris, and shouted “Jesus Christ!” But several more news clips of the disaster have gone viral after viewers saw what they believe were “drones” whizzing through the flames.
The clips, circulating rapidly on social media, show glowing objects apparently moving at high speed through the flames. Another clip appears to show a large glowing “mothership” amid the smoke.
Some viewers have speculated that the sightings are simply natural atmospheric phenomena created by the intense heat.
However, Chilean news site Ovniologica reports others have suggested that hostile drones could be hovering over head.
One Twitter user said: ""With 85mph winds it could be anything including pieces of flying burning debris, birds, bats, or swarms of insects. It's odd-looking though…”
Local news site Cal Wire posted two of the videos, with the caption “strange fast-moving objects seen over SoCal fires". People online are observing strange projectiles coming in and out of the #SoCal fires on live TV.” They added: “Missile? Firework? UFO? Arson? Are we under attack???”
Even without some kind of external attack, the outlook for locals is gloomy. The seasonal Santa Ana winds, with gusts of up to 80 mph, are fanning the blaze, and the situation is expected to worsen in the coming 12 to 24 hours.
Authorities say there is "no possibility" of bringing the fires under control in the immediate future, and residents watching the flames coming ever closer to their homes are saying they "don't know where to go."
One Topanga Canyon resident told the Mirror: "Our area was evacuated. The fires are apocalyptic, catastrophic…"
