Nicholas Norman conseguiu salvar sua casa usando pouco mais do que baldes de água quando chamas enormes devastaram seu bairro em um subúrbio de Los Angeles, em meio aos incêndios que devastam a região e deixam mortos esta semana. Agora, ele enfrenta um novo perigo: saqueadores.
Depois de sobreviver ao terror de um incêndio impulsionado pelo vento, Norman estava em sua casa em Altadena quando viu dois homens suspeitos nas horas antes do amanhecer de quinta-feira.
— Eles estavam testando portas e olhando pelas janelas de casas que haviam sido evacuadas — ele disse à AFP.
- LEIA TAMBÉM: Noites em claro e ordem de evacuação: incêndios históricos impõem nova rotina na Califórnia
Norman, um professor, disse que um amigo policial lhe disse que saqueadores haviam sido presos a alguns quarteirões de distância, poucas horas antes. Então ele decidiu resolver o problema por conta própria.
— Fiz a coisa americana clássica: fui, peguei minha espingarda, sentei lá fora e acendi uma luz para que soubessem que havia pessoas lá — destacou.
-
![Incêndios em Los Angeles: com patrulha armada, moradores de mansões articulam defesa contra saques]( "OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA - JULY 03: A burned out car sits next to a home that was destroyed by the Thompson Fire on July 03, 2024 in Oroville, California. At least 12,000 Butte County residents have been evacuated as they flee the Thompson Fire that has burned more than 3,000 acres and destroyed multiple homes since starting on Monday. The fire is zero percent contained. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)")
1/13
OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA – JULY 03: A burned out car sits next to a home that was destroyed by the Thompson Fire on July 03, 2024 in Oroville, California. At least 12,000 Butte County residents have been evacuated as they flee the Thompson Fire that has burned more than 3,000 acres and destroyed multiple homes since starting on Monday. The fire is zero percent contained. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
(Thompson Fire Burns In Northern California) -
![A car burns as flames engulf a home nearby during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)]( "A car burns as flames engulf a home nearby during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)")
2/13
A car burns as flames engulf a home nearby during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
(Fire season in California) -
![Flames engulf a home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)]( "Flames engulf a home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)")
3/13
Flames engulf a home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
(Fire season in California) -
![A turkey crosses the driveway of a burned home as the Thompson fire continues to burn in Oroville, California on July 3, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)]( "A turkey crosses the driveway of a burned home as the Thompson fire continues to burn in Oroville, California on July 3, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)")
4/13
A turkey crosses the driveway of a burned home as the Thompson fire continues to burn in Oroville, California on July 3, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
(Fire season in California) -
![A burned vehicles leaves a trail of melted metal down a driveway as the Thompson fire continues to burn in Oroville, California on July 03, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)]( "A burned vehicles leaves a trail of melted metal down a driveway as the Thompson fire continues to burn in Oroville, California on July 03, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)")
5/13
A burned vehicles leaves a trail of melted metal down a driveway as the Thompson fire continues to burn in Oroville, California on July 03, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
(Fire season in California) -
![Firefighters knock down a structure fire that ignited from a burning generator and briefly spread to a small spot fire at a home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 3, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)]( "Firefighters knock down a structure fire that ignited from a burning generator and briefly spread to a small spot fire at a home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 3, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)")
6/13
Firefighters knock down a structure fire that ignited from a burning generator and briefly spread to a small spot fire at a home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 3, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
(Fire season in California) -
![Firefighters knock down a structure fire that ignited from a burning generator and briefly spread to a small spot fire at a home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 3, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)]( "Firefighters knock down a structure fire that ignited from a burning generator and briefly spread to a small spot fire at a home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 3, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)")
7/13
Firefighters knock down a structure fire that ignited from a burning generator and briefly spread to a small spot fire at a home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 3, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
(Fire season in California) -
![Firefighters knock down a structure fire that ignited from a burning generator and briefly spread to a small spot fire at a home in Oroville, California on July 03, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)]( "Firefighters knock down a structure fire that ignited from a burning generator and briefly spread to a small spot fire at a home in Oroville, California on July 03, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)")
8/13
Firefighters knock down a structure fire that ignited from a burning generator and briefly spread to a small spot fire at a home in Oroville, California on July 03, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
(Fire season in California) -
![A partially burned book is seen at the remains of a burned home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 3, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)]( "A partially burned book is seen at the remains of a burned home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 3, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)")
9/13
A partially burned book is seen at the remains of a burned home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 3, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
(Fire season in California) -
![Goats look on as flames approach a home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)]( "Goats look on as flames approach a home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)")
10/13
Goats look on as flames approach a home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
(Fire season in California) -
![Law enforcement members watch as the Thompson fire burns over Lake Oroville in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)]( "Law enforcement members watch as the Thompson fire burns over Lake Oroville in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)")
11/13
Law enforcement members watch as the Thompson fire burns over Lake Oroville in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
(Fire season in California) -
![In this long exposure photograph, a helicopter surveys the scene as the Thompson fire burns around Lake Oroville in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)]( "In this long exposure photograph, a helicopter surveys the scene as the Thompson fire burns around Lake Oroville in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)")
12/13
In this long exposure photograph, a helicopter surveys the scene as the Thompson fire burns around Lake Oroville in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
(Fire season in California) -
![A night ops helicopter drops water on the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)]( "A night ops helicopter drops water on the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)")
13/13
A night ops helicopter drops water on the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
(Fire season in California)
Ele disse que nunca pensou que veria algo semelhante na sonolenta Altadena, um lugar para onde se mudou há oito anos. A cidade, lar de cerca de 40 mil pessoas, foi devastada por um dos vários incêndios florestais que devastaram a área. Milhares de imóveis foram destruídos.
A destruição foi aleatória: em alguns lugares, uma rua inteira desapareceu; em outros, algumas casas permanecem, enquanto, a quarteirões de distância, apenas uma propriedade foi danificada.
Para aqueles que se consideram sortudos o suficiente por terem sobrevivido à tragédia, a ideia de estranhos se aproveitarem da tragédia é quase insuportável.
— Eu não salvei aquela maldita casa para que algum idiota viesse e me roubasse — disse Norman. — Isso não vai acontecer. O roubo é piorado pela covardia.
Norman, que geralmente nem tranca o carro, disse que estará de volta à sua varanda depois do pôr do sol e fará algumas rondas nas ruas próximas para monitorar a movimentação nas casas vazias.
Cerca de 20 detidos
Cerca de 20 pessoas foram presas em zonas de desastre desde que os primeiros incêndios começaram na terça-feira, disse o xerife do condado de Los Angeles, Robert Luna.
O oficial prometeu reforçar as patrulhas e disse que seus agentes — que em breve serão apoiados por soldados da Guarda Nacional da Califórnia — irão parar proativamente qualquer um que virem em uma área ameaça da qual moradores foram obrigados a se retirar.
— Quando temos uma ordem de evacuação, por lei, se você permanecer naquela área, você é culpado de uma contravenção. Se você cometer certos crimes, isso pode se tornar um crime grave — disse ele. — Se você estiver em uma dessas áreas e não pertencer a elas, estará sujeito à prisão.
Para Chris, um morador de Altadena que não quis dar seu nome completo, nem mesmo a promessa de mais agentes deslocados para a região foi suficiente.
Quando ele voltou para casa na quinta-feira de manhã — uma casa que ele passou um ano reformando —, o cadeado do portão havia sido arrombado.
— É uma evidência clara de que alguém esteve aqui no meio da noite — disse ele.
Ninguém conseguiu entrar, mas Chris passou boa parte da quinta-feira martelando compensado nas janelas e portas para reforçar a proteção de sua propriedade.
— Estamos fechando as portas, meio que acertando as coisas, tendo vigilantes de bairro, tudo porque alguns idiotas estão por aí, caçando [bens de] pessoas — disse ele. — É uma droga. Eu preferiria ajudar todos os meus vizinhos.
