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Elon Musk announced that SpaceX will provide free Starlink terminals to help those affected by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. The fires have killed at least five people.
Elon Musk (L)/Los Angeles wildfires (R) (Photos: Reuters, AFP)
SpaceX will provide free Starlink terminals to areas affected by the raging wildfires in Los Angeles, Elon Musk has said. This came after multiple reports showed TV crews using SpaceX’s Starlink to broadcast live fire coverage in California.
Quoting one such media report, Elon Musk on X wrote, “SpaceX will provide free Starlink terminals to affected areas in LA tomorrow morning”.
Musk, who heads or owns a cluster of companies ranging from electric vehicle maker Tesla to Starlink parent company SpaceX, has used his portfolio of businesses — and his massive wealth — to amass influence far beyond just the tech world.
The many services under Starlink include streaming, shopping, gaming and more.
At least five people have been killed in wildfires rampaging around Los Angeles, with firefighters overwhelmed by the speed and ferocity of multiple blazes — including in Hollywood.
Up to 1,500 buildings have burned in fires wreaking havoc around America’s second-biggest city, forcing over 100,000 people from their homes.
Hurricane-force winds whipped up fireballs that leapt from house to house, incinerating swathes of California’s most desirable real estate.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said his crews were struggling with the scale and speed of the unfolding disasters, according to news agency AFP.
On Thursday morning, a new fire erupted in the Hollywood Hills, just a few hundred meters (yards) from the storied Hollywood Boulevard — home to sights such as the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the Walk of Fame and the El Capitan Theatre.
An evacuation order was put in place for a number of streets in the historic district, as firefighters took to the skies to dump water on the blaze.
