Eaton Fire death toll rises as LA County firefighters continue containment efforts
The Eaton Fire raging in the Angeles National Forest, Altadena and Pasadena exploded to 10,600 acres Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Five people have died, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. In a Wednesday morning news conference, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said there have been a "number of significant injuries."
LACoFD Chief Anthony Marrone said that over 100 structures have been destroyed as there is zero percent containment of the wildfire.
Later in the day, Pasadena Fire Department Chief Chad Augustin said about 200-500 buildings have been destroyed or damaged.
The Eaton Fire was first reported at around 6 p.m. Tuesday near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive above Altadena, according to Cal Fire and LACoFD crews. Over 500 personnel are assigned to the blaze, Marrone said Wednesday.
While the wildfire was estimated at 2,227 acres earlier Wednesday morning, Angeles National Forest officials announced just after 10 a.m. that it had jumped to 10,600 acres.
Pasadena Fire Department crews say that significant wind in the area is causing the flames to act erratically and spread quickly. Multiple structures were threatened by the fire, according to city spokesperson Lisa Derderian. Videos from the area show several buildings burning.
Footage from the scene showed some homeowners running through the streets while leading horses by hand, with flames burning on the hillsides behind them. Another video showed at least one home with flames emitting from the roof. Firefighters say that it is one of multiple homes burning.
Evacuation orders were issued for some people living in Altadena, Arcadia, Pasadena and Sierra Madre. As of Wednesday morning, the Angeles National Forest reports that over 52,000 residents are under evacuation orders, and over 20,000 structures are being impacted by the orders. Nearly 47,000 residents are under evacuation warnings and just over 18,000 structures are under warnings.
Evacuation orders have been issued for all parts of La Cañada Flintridge, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Officials are telling residents to "evacuate immediately" due to the severe wind conditions and nearby fire in the area. There are no evacuation warnings or orders for residents in the La Crescenta area.
KCAL News spoke with workers from an elderly living facility, who had wheeled dozens of their residents outdoors to escape.
They were eventually shuttled to safety thanks to Pasadena Transit buses, armored cars and other vehicles. A full list of evacuations can be found here
The Pasadena Convention Center has been converted into an evacuation center for anyone affected by the fire. It is located at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena.
Parking is available at the parking structure across the street from the Convention Center, located at 155 E. Green St.
Arcadia has also established a temporary shelter at the Arcadia Community Center at 365 Campus Dr.
Late Tuesday, Pasadena Vice Mayor Steve Madison shared a post on X to note that the Rose Bowl Stadium parking lots would be closed to the public for use as a command post for Pasadena Fire and Police Departments.
El Camino Real Charter High School and the Westwood Recreation Center are also open as evacuation shelters for residents to access.
Late Tuesday evening, Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco said that all schools would be closed on Wednesday.
Students depending on school meals were told that their Grab & Go meals would be available at Madison Elementary School, located on Ashtabula Street, McKinley School on Oak Knoll Avenue, or Willard on Madre Street.
Glendale Unified School District officials also said that their campuses would be closed.
"This decision was made to prioritize the safety of our students, employees, and families, as wind and fires have significantly impacted the accessibility of roadways and the air quality in our area," said Superintendent Dr. Darneika Watson.
The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena has announced the campus will be closed Wednesday for "all nonessential operations" and all classes have been canceled. Students who live on campus are being asked to shelter in place in their campus residences.
As the fire continued to grow, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that they had approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant request made by state leaders.
"At the time of the request, the fire was threatening approximately 8,200 homes in and around Altadena and Pasadena, California, population 40,000," said the statement from FEMA.
The federal funding will allow local departments up to 75 percent of eligible firefighting costs used during the firefight, the statement said.
About 40 miles to the west in the Pacific Palisades, a massive wildfire had already torched more than 2,900 acres and destroyed multiple buildings since first igniting Tuesday morning.
Just after 10 p.m., a 50-acre brush fire called the Hurst Fire was reported in the Sylmar area, forcing evacuation orders for some people living in the area. The blaze was said to be just behind the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center and burning at a rapid rate of spread due to the gusts of wind blowing through the area.
Southern California is currently in the midst of one of the worst wind storms the area has experienced in the last decade, according to the National Weather Service, which said that some areas could experience gusts of wind as high as 80 mph, with the highest gusts reaching 100 mph.
Because of this, all water-dropping and firefighting aircraft have been grounded for at least Tuesday evening.
Firefighting resources across the region have already been stretched thin to the point that the Los Angeles Fire Department has asked all off-duty firefighters to contact their department of communications to report if they're available to assist in the firefight.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.
California Wildfire Live Updates: Officials Say 5 Dead As Fires Expand
The death toll due to wildfires in Los Angeles County grew to five Wednesday afternoon, as authorities fight multiple fires that have prompted the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, with conditions prime for the fires to expand.
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The Palisades Fire began around 10:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday and burned 15,832 acres as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which issued evacuation orders for residents of the Palisades and for those living along a long stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway. About 30,000 residents in the Palisades and nearby areas are under evacuation orders, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department, as Cal Fire reported 0% fire containment on Wednesday.
The second blaze, called the Eaton Fire, began on Tuesday evening in Eaton Canyon near the San Gabriel Mountains and grew rapidly overnight to cover 10,600 acres as of Wednesday morning, with 0% contained. The Eaton Fire also triggered a round of mandatory evacuations in the nearby areas of Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre. City officials said at least 550 homes in Pasadena are affected by the evacuation orders, which cover large portions of the city’s northern neighborhoods along with most of eastern Altadena and nearly the entirety of Sierra Madre.
The Hurst Fire was reported later on Tuesday night after it broke out near the Los Angeles-area suburban neighborhood of Sylmar, north of the rest of the city. Shortly after it was reported, the Los Angeles Fire Department issued evacuation orders in the area, warning of a “rapid rate of spread.” As of a 1:20 p.m. PST update Wednesday, the Hurst fire also rapidly grew to cover 500 acres, 0% of which has been contained.
The Woodley Fire, reported Wednesday morning, burned 30 acres and was 0% contained according to an 8:58 a.m. update from Cal Fire. Local officials said earlier Wednesday it appears to be under control.
A mix of extremely gusty winds, drought conditions and low humidity created conditions conducive for fires to quickly spread. The appearance of weather conditions suggestive of La Niña, a climate phenomenon linked to drier conditions and drought in southern parts of the U.S., likely played a large part in priming southern California for extreme fire conditions this week. Los Angeles in particular has seen an underwhelming amount of rain in the last eight months alongside a dry winter. The last time the city recorded over a tenth of an inch of rainfall was last May, according to the Los Angeles Times, contributing to drought. The dry conditions paired with historically strong winds gave way to this week’s fires. Wind gusts of up to 99 mph were reported near Altadena and other nearby areas early Wednesday. The National Weather service forecast wind gusts of 50 to 80 mph in parts of southern California and up to 100 mph gusts in mountains and foothills into Wednesday night. The conditions are the result of a wind pattern called the Santa Ana winds or “devil winds,” which are often fast-moving, dry and warm winds that originate inland, around Nevada and Utah, and blow toward the coastal regions of Southern California. Cal Fire is still investigating the specific causes for each of the fires blazing in Los Angeles County.
The Eaton Fire has killed at least five people, multiple outlets reported around 3 p.m. PST. Earlier in the day, Marrone confirmed two were killed and said there have also been a “high number of significant injuries to residents who did not evacuate.” A 25-year-old firefighter sustained a serious head injury while combatting the Palisades Fire on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Fire Department told NBC News. There were “multiple burn victims” who were treated by medical officials, though the number of people who were treated is not immediately known.
Actor James Woods—who posted videos of his area engulfed in flames on X—told CNN he left his Palisades home on Tuesday, and described the harrowing process of helping an older neighbor evacuate, at one point breaking into tears as he described his house’s likely demise. Meanwhile, actor Mark Hamill wrote on Instagram Tuesday saying he evacuated his Malibu home, while singer Mandy Moore said she evacuated with her kids and animals, saying she feels “gutted for the destruction and loss” caused by the wildfires. Vice President Kamala Harris’ home in Los Angeles was put under an evacuation order, though no one was in the home at the time the order was placed, spokesperson Ernesto Apreza said. Keith Wasserman, founder of the real estate investment firm Gelt Venture Partners, said he would pay “any amount” for private firefighters to protect his Pacific Palisades home, sparking backlash from some users on X. Other celebrities who reportedly have homes in areas affected by evacuation orders include Adam Sandler, Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
Several schools across the affected region closed on Wednesday, including six schools under the Los Angeles Unified Schools District like Palisades Charter Elementary School. All schools under the Pasadena Unified School District will remain closed on Wednesday as well to “allow our crews time to evaluate and repair damages” caused by the Eaton fire. Several other school districts in the region have also cancelled classes Wednesday, including the Glendale Unified School District, the Alhambra Unified School District, South Pasadena Unified School District, South Pasadena Unified School District and Burbank Unified School District. Pepperdine University’s Malibu and Calabasas campuses closed Wednesday because of nearby fires, the university announced, though the flames “pose no immediate threat” to either campus.
The Critics Choice Awards—slated for Sunday—were postponed due to the fires, the organization told Variety. Several other TV shows—from “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to “NCIS”—paused production (see here for a list). The Screen Actors Guild canceled it in-person awards nomination ceremony on Wednesday because of the wildfires “in an abundance of caution.” The nominations will be announced on the SAG Awards website on Thursday, the guild said. Universal Studios said its park in Hollywood would close Wednesday because of “extreme winds and fire conditions,” adding they expect to reopen on Thursday. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences extended its voting deadline for the 97th Academy Awards by two days, according to multiple outlets. The voting period, which is now open, is set to conclude Tuesday due to the delay. The announcement of this year’s Oscar nominees will also be pushed back two days, and is now scheduled for Jan. 19.
Los Angeles International Airport, located about 19 miles south of the Pacific Palisades, has not experienced significant flight cancellations as of Wednesday morning, according to FlightAware. Just 1% of departures were cancelled and 9% were delayed as of late Wednesday morning. Some flights are disrupted at the much smaller Hollywood Burbank Airport: About 19% of departures are cancelled and another 9% are delayed Wednesday.
The NWS issued an extreme fire weather alert—its highest designation for fire potential—from Wednesday to Thursday for a 2,356-square mile stretch of land that includes areas such as Glendale, Oxnard, Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks and Pasadena.
With negligible rain in 8 months, Southern California swings toward drought (LA Times)
Residents flee on foot as Palisades Fire torches hillside homes (LAist)
Eaton Fire | Updates on wildfire near Pasadena as of 11 p.m. on Jan. 7
A second wildfire fueled by dangerously high winds sparked in Los Angeles County on Tuesday. The Eaton Fire, initially called the Close Fire, sparked just before 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Eaton Canyon near Altadena and Pasadena.
