As fires continue to rage in Southern California, drivers stuck in long evacuation lines are abandoning their cars and gridlocking roads the L.A. County Fire Department (LAFD) need to access.
According to a report from KTLA 5 News, the LAFD is employing a dozer to clear cars left in pacific Pallisades and along Sunset Boulevard for easier access to areas that are still burning.
“If this is your car, unfortunately, it’s an emergency situation, and this is what they have to do,” said Gene Kang, KTLA reporter from the scene.
According to a video from the County of Los Angeles, the Caterpillar D8R dozer has been converted and reinforced for fighting wildland fires in L.A. County.
The 395-horsepower D8R dozer weighs 93,000 pounds with a blade that measures 16-feet across. Darren Beatty, a usual operator of the dozer with the LAFD, said in the video that the dozer is typically used for clearing brush and material down to the mineral soil to prevent fire from spreading further.
The post from X below shows more footage from the scene.
