New LA-area fire prompts more evacuations as officials say thousands of homes, buildings have burned
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A new fire prompted evacuations Thursday in and around Los Angeles even as firefighters aided by calmer winds saw the first signs of successfully beating back the region’s deadly and devastating wildfires, while the enormity of the devastation started to emerge.
The Kenneth Fire started in the late afternoon in the San Fernando Valley near the West Hills neighborhood and close to Ventura County. The evacuation order covered parts of Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
The orders came as Los Angeles County officials announced the Eaton Fire near Pasadena that started Tuesday night burned more than 4,000 to 5,000 structures including vehicles.
Thousands of other structures in Pacific Palisades on the coast also burned.
The Kenneth blaze ignited less than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away from the El Camino Real Charter High School, where people are sheltering from the fire in Palisades. The two fires are about 10 miles (18 kilometers) apart.
Dozens of blocks were flattened to smoldering rubble in scenic Pacific Palisades. Only the outlines of homes and their chimneys remained. In Malibu, blackened palm strands were all that was left above debris where oceanfront homes once stood.
At least five churches, a synagogue, seven schools, two libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and groceries were lost. So too were the Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and Topanga Ranch Motel, local landmarks dating to the 1920s. The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage or specifics about how many structures burned.
AccuWeather, a private company that provides data on weather and its impact, on Thursday increased its estimate of the damage and economic loss to $135-$150 billion.
City leaders were encouraged Thursday after firefighters made significant gains at slowing the spread of the two biggest fires that had ignited block after block from Pacific Palisades to inland Altadena, a community near Pasadena.
Crews also knocked down a blaze in the Hollywood Hills, allowing an evacuation to be lifted Thursday. The fire that sparked up late Wednesday near the heart of the entertainment industry came perilously close to igniting the famed Hollywood Bowl outdoor concert venue.
“While we are still facing significant threats, I am hopeful that the tide is turning,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said Thursday.
Water dropped from aircraft helped fire crews quickly seize control of the fires in the Hollywood Hills and Studio City, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. Much of the widespread destruction occurred Tuesday after those aircraft were grounded due to high winds.
Wind gusts were expected to strengthen Thursday evening through Friday morning, with another round of strong winds expected early next week, raising concerns that the conditions could worsen, the National Weather Service said.
But Thursday’s daytime forecast provided a window for firefighters — including crews pouring in from neighboring states and Canada — to make progress in reining in blazes that have killed at least five people and caused thousands of people to flee their homes.
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said firefighters were able to keep the Hollywood Hills blaze in check because “we hit it hard and fast and Mother Nature was a little nicer to us.”
Fire officials said Thursday that they don’t yet know the cause of the fires but are actively investigating.
Earlier in the week, hurricane-force winds with gusts up to 80 mph (129 kph) blew embers, igniting the Southern California hillsides.
Right now, it’s impossible to quantify the extent of the destruction other than “total devastation and loss,” said Barbara Bruderlin, head of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce.
“There are areas where everything is gone, there isn’t even a stick of wood left, it’s just dirt,” Bruderlin said.
The five deaths recorded so far were from those two fires. Cadaver dogs and search crews are searching through rubble and the death toll is expected to rise, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy, were waiting for an ambulance to come, but they did not make it out, Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, told The Washington Post.
Shari Shaw told KTLA that she tried to get her 66-year-old brother, Victor Shaw, to evacuate Tuesday night but he wanted to stay and fight the fire. Crews found his body with a garden hose in his hand.
On Thursday, recovery crews pulled a body from rubble of what was a beachfront residence in Malibu on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. A charred washer and dryer were among the few things that remained.
While the two main fires were no longer spreading significantly, both remained at 0% containment, officials said.
At least 180,000 people were under evacuation orders, and the fires have consumed about 45 square miles (117 square kilometers) — roughly the size of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history.
At least 20 arrests have been made for looting, and the city of Santa Monica declared a curfew Wednesday night because of the lawlessness, officials said. Luna said to protect properties national guard troops would be stationed near the areas ravaged by fire and a curfew was expected to go into effect from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m., starting as soon as Thursday.
Flames destroyed the homes of several celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton.
Jamie Lee Curtis pledged $1 million to start a “fund of support” for those affected by the fires that touched all economic levels from the city’s wealthy to its working class.
California’s wildfire season is beginning earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall tied to climate change, according to recent data.
Dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, which has not seen more than 0.1 inches (2.5 millimeters) of rain since early May.
Robert Lara sifted through the remains of his home in Altadena on Thursday with tears in his eyes, hoping to find a safe containing a set of earrings that once belonged to his great-great-grandmother.
“All our memories, all our sentimental attachments, things that were gifted from generation to generation to generation are now gone,” he said.
Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio and Watson from San Diego. Associated Press journalists Manuel Valdes, Eugene Garcia and Krysta Fauria, Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles; Ethan Swope in Pasadena, California; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska; Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Janie Har in San Francisco; Brian Melley in London; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland; and Tammy Webber in Detroit contributed.
Explosive Los Angeles wildfires rage on even as fierce winds ebb
LOS ANGELES, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Two massive wildfires menacing Los Angeles from the east and west were still burning uncontained on Thursday, but a brief respite from the fierce winds that have fanned the flames for two days allowed crews to slow their explosive spread.
The Palisades Fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on the city's western flank and the Eaton Fire in the east near Pasadena already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history, consuming nearly 31,000 acres (12,500 hectares) - or some 48 square miles (125 sq km) - turning entire neighborhoods to ash.
At least five people have been killed, thousands of homes and businesses have been incinerated and nearly 180,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes, with another 200,000 under evacuation warnings, officials said.
The death toll is likely to rise, Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna told a press conference, adding that the Eaton Fire alone had damaged or destroyed 4,000 to 5,000 structures. Officials said the Palisades Fire destroyed an estimated 1,000 more.
Some Pacific Palisades residents ventured back to areas the fire had already swept through, where brick chimneys were left looming over charred waste and burnt-out vehicles. The remnants of a tattered and scorched American flag flapped from a pole.
"I had just come from my family home where my mother lives that was burned to a crisp ... And then I came up to my home and - same thing. It's completely dust," said Oliver Allnatt, 36, wearing ski goggles and a filtered face mask as he took pictures of the ruins. "Basically just a chimney stack and a pile of ash. I mean, it's something out of a movie."
Thousands of Angelenos fleeing the flames sought refuge in temporary shelters.
The Eaton Fire's growth has been significantly stopped, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said, though it remains 0% contained. While still strong, winds have diminished since the 100-mile-per-hour (160-kph) gusts seen earlier in the week, permitting crucial aerial support for crews on the ground.
"We have a much better posture than we did on Tuesday and Wednesday," Marrone said.
But officials warned that the wind was forecast was due to intensify again in the evening, with gusts of up to 60 mph (96.5 kph). The National Weather Service extended its red flag warning for the area until 6 p.m. on Friday, meaning the dry, strong Santa Ana winds would continue to pose an increased fire risk until then.
Kristin Crowley, chief of the Los Angeles City Fire Department, said residents should be prepared to evacuate if ordered.
In Pacific Palisades, an upscale and picturesque enclave where many celebrities reside, once-palatial homes stood in ruins, while downed power lines and abandoned cars littered the roadways. The smell of heavy smoke filled the air, and residents wearing masks rode bicycles, hoping to catch a glimpse of their damaged houses.
Aerial video showed block after block of leveled homes, while satellite images showed thick plumes of smoke from the fires being blown in a southwesterly direction out over the Pacific Ocean.
The Eaton Fire reached the grounds of the Mount Wilson Observatory, the place where a century ago Edwin Hubble discovered the existence of galaxies beyond the Milky Way and that the universe is expanding.
"There are firefighters on the grounds but the power is out at the Observatory so communication is limited. We are monitoring the situation and will update here as we can," the observatory said in a statement.
The two biggest conflagrations - the Palisades and Eaton fires - formed a pincer around the city so enormous that it was visible from space.
"It is safe to say that the Palisades Fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles," Crowley said.
Firefighting crews managed to beat back a third blaze, known as the Sunset Fire, which had forced mandatory evacuations in Hollywood and Hollywood Hills - including famous show-business locations such as the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Walk of Fame - late on Wednesday.
The fire was fully contained, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said on social media around midday on Thursday. No buildings were lost in the area, a city fire department spokeswoman said, and the evacuation order was lifted.
It was one of at least five separate wildfires burning in Los Angeles County on Thursday as powerful winds spread flames across parched ground that has seen no rain for months. Bass described it as a "perfect storm" of dangerous conditions.
U.S. President Joe Biden, who declared a major disaster in California, met with top administration officials in the afternoon to discuss the federal response, the White House said.
The homes of movie stars and celebrities were among those consumed by flames, which tore through some of the world's most lavish real estate.
Chef Jose Andres, the Spaniard known for providing free food to disaster victims around the world, set up a food truck near the Palisades Fire on Pacific Coast Highway.
"Everybody needs support and love in these moments, wealthy or not, poor or not. It's he right thing to do. So you try to make sure nobody is left behind," he said.
Actor Jamie Lee Curtis said on Thursday her family would donate $1 million to relief efforts.
Firefighters from half a dozen other U.S. states were being rushed to California, while an additional 250 engine companies with 1,000 personnel were being moved from Northern California to Southern California.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose country has experienced its own severe wildfires, sent water bombers to Southern California to help, and said 250 Canadian firefighters were ready to deploy. The Canadian Armed Forces were standing by to move personnel and equipment.
"To our American neighbours: Canada's here to help," Trudeau said.
Hollywood Hills fire breaks out as deadly wildfires burn out of control across Los Angeles area
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A fast-moving fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday night, threatening one of Los Angeles’ most iconic spots as firefighters battled to get under control three other major blazes that killed five people, put 130,000 people under evacuation orders and ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to inland Pasadena.
The Sunset Fire was burning near the Hollywood Bowl and about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The streets around Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and Madame Tussauds were packed with stop-and-go traffic as sirens blared and low-flying helicopters soared by on their way to dump water on the flames. People toting suitcases left hotels on foot, while some onlookers walked toward the flames, recording the fire on their phones.
Winds eased up some Wednesday, a day after hurricane-force winds blew embers through the air, igniting block after block, and hundreds of firefighters from other states have arrived to help, but the four fires burning out of control showed the danger is far from over.
More than half a dozen schools in the area were either damaged or destroyed, including Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions, including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie” and the TV series “Teen Wolf,” officials said. UCLA has canceled classes for the week.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said air operations were dousing flames. She warned they still faced “erratic winds,” though not like Tuesday evening, when aircraft had to be grounded and much of the destruction occurred.
In Pasadena, Fire Chief Chad Augustin said between 200 and 500 structures have been damaged or lost from the Eaton Fire that started Tuesday night.
He said the city’s water system was stretched and was further hampered by power outages, but even without those issues, firefighters would not have been able to stop the fire due to the intense winds fanning the flames.
“Those erratic wind gusts were throwing embers for multiple miles ahead of the fire,” he said.
On the Pacific Coast west of downtown Los Angeles, a major fire leveled entire blocks, reducing grocery stores and banks to rubble in the Pacific Palisades, a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity homes and memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin’ USA.”
The Palisades fire was the most destructive in the Los Angeles history, with at least 1,000 structures burned.
The scope of the destruction was just becoming clear: Block after block of California Mission Style homes and bungalows were reduced to nothing but charred remains dotted by stone fireplaces and blackened arched entryways. Ornate iron railing wrapped around the smoldering frame of one house. The apocalyptic scenes spread for miles.
Swimming pools were blackened with soot, and sports cars slumped on melted tires.
As flames moved through his neighborhood, Jose Velasquez sprayed down his family’s Altadena home with water as embers rained down on the roof. He managed to save their home, which also houses their family business of selling churros, a Mexican pastry. Others weren’t so lucky. Many of his neighbors were at work when they lost their homes.
“So we had to call a few people and then we had people messaging, asking if their house was still standing,” he said. “We had to tell them that it’s not.”
Beyond the burned areas, residents worked wearing N95 masks, unable to escape the toxic smoke wafting over huge sections of the city.
The flames marched toward highly populated and affluent neighborhoods, including Calabasas and Santa Monica, home to California’s rich and famous.
Mandy Moore, Cary Elwes and Paris Hilton are among the stars who said Wednesday they lost homes.
Billy Crystal and his wife Janice lost their home of 45 years in the Palisades Fire.
“We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away,” the Crystals wrote in the statement.
In Palisades Village, the public library, two major grocery stores, a pair of banks and several boutiques were destroyed.
“It’s just really weird coming back to somewhere that doesn’t really exist anymore,” said Dylan Vincent, who returned to the neighborhood to retrieve some items and saw that his elementary school had burned down and that whole blocks had been flattened.
The fires have consumed a total of about 42 square miles (108 square kilometers) — nearly the size of the entire city of San Francisco.
Flames moved so quickly that many barely had time to escape. Police sought shelter inside their patrol cars, and residents at a senior living center were pushed in wheelchairs and hospital beds down a street to safety.
In the race to get away in Pacific Palisades, roadways became impassable when scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot.
California’s wildfire season is beginning earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall tied to climate change, according to recent data. Rains that usually end fire season are often delayed, meaning fires can burn through the winter months, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association.
Dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, which has not seen more than 0.1 inches (2.5 millimeters) of rain since early May.
The winds increased to 80 mph (129 kph) Wednesday, according to reports received by the National Weather Service. Forecasters predicted wind gusts of 35-55 mph (56 to 88 kph) that could rise higher in the mountains and foothills. Fire conditions could last through Friday.
President Joe Biden signed a federal emergency declaration after arriving at a Santa Monica fire station for a briefing with Gov. Gavin Newsom, who dispatched National Guard troops to help.
Several Hollywood studios suspended production, and Universal Studios closed its theme park between Pasadena and Pacific Palisades.
As of Wednesday evening, more than 456,000 people were without power in southern California, according to the tracking website PowerOutage.us.
Several Southern California landmarks were heavily damaged, including the Reel Inn in Malibu, a seafood restaurant. Owner Teddy Leonard and her husband hope to rebuild.
“When you look at the grand scheme of things, as long as your family is well and everyone’s alive, you’re still winning, right?” she said.
Golden reported from Seattle and Watson from San Diego. Associated Press journalists Christopher Weber and Eugene Garcia in Los Angeles, Ethan Swope in Pasadena, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas, Jeff Martin in Atlanta, Janie Har in San Francisco, Brian Melley in London, Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland, and Tammy Webber in Detroit contributed to this report.
Hollywood Hills scorched as Sunset Fire ignites in Los Angeles
What started as a brush fire in Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills burned more than 40 acres of vegetation and threatened major landmarks as it kicked off a wave of evacuation orders and warnings.
The blaze, known as the Sunset Fire, was reported on Wednesday evening, and water-dropping helicopters and ground crews worked to extinguish the flames through the night.
By mid-Thursday morning, the fire "was stopped," an official said.
Los Angeles Fire Department chief Kristin Crowley said the fire was "rapidly and aggressively attacked" with coordinated air and ground fire suppression efforts.
Crews were working to "put out spot fires within the perimeters to keep the wind from spreading any additional embers" which could spark further blazes, Crowley said.
Mandatory evacuation orders were put in place for residents between Runyon Canyon and Wattles Park, the agency said. Cal Fire said on Thursday morning that the evacuation orders were lifted, but said any residents returning home should use caution and be aware of firefighters still operating in the area. Crowley confirmed the evacuation orders had been lifted at the news briefing.
The Los Angeles Fire Department will be working to ensure "no flare-ups in the vegetation surrounding these streets," spokesperson Margaret Stewart said earlier Thursday.
Here are the areas that were under evacuation orders and warnings because of the Sunset Fire.
A number of iconic Los Angeles landmarks, including the Hollywood sign, were near the Sunset Fire, according to maps.
The Hollywood sign and the nearby Griffith Observatory were nearby the mandatory evacuation zone shared by Cal Fire. Meanwhile, entertainment venue the Hollywood Bowl and the historic TCL Chinese Theater were inside the zone.
Other sites inside the zone included the Dolby Theatre, where the Academy Awards are held, the Magic Castle, the Capitol Records Building and a former studio used by Golden Age director Cecil B. DeMille. The studio is now the Hollywood Heritage Museum.
Most evacuation orders lifted for Sunset Fire in Hollywood Hills
The majority of evacuation orders for the Hollywood Hills Sunset Fire have been lifted Thursday after water-dropping aircraft slowed the fire's advance overnight.
The Sunset Fire was first reported just after 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 2300 block of N. Solar Drive, near Wattles Park, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. As of 6:15 p.m., firefighters said the fire had burned just over 40 acres of vegetation. By the following morning, the blaze had scorched 60 acres, with containment still at zero percent.
SkyCal was overhead Wednesday night as the massive flames tore through brush in the area. Multiple water-dropping helicopters could be seen near the spot of the fire while several ground crews with both LAFD and Los Angeles County Fire worked below.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued Wednesday for a sprawling area between Laurel Canyon Boulevard and the 101 Freeway, from Mulholland Drive on the north to Hollywood Boulevard on the south.
Thursday morning, evacuation orders remain only in place for the area North of Franklin Ave from Camino Palmero Street to North Sierra Bonita Avenue. CAL Fire said this order was still in place at the area remains closed through Friday morning as crews manage possible flare-ups within the vegetation of the area.
Just after 6 p.m. Wednesday LAFD had issued mandatory evacuation orders for Laurel Canyon Blvd (on the west) to Mulholland Dr (on the north) to 101 Freeway (on the east) down to Hollywood Blvd (on the south).
Thursday morning, all evacuation orders were lifted except for the area North of Franklin Ave from Camino Palmero Street to North Sierra Bonita Avenue.
An evacuation center is at the Pan Pacific Recreation Center at 7600 Beverly Boulevard.
LAPD deployed officers to help direct traffic caused by the evacuations.
Despite multiple warnings from local law enforcement in recent days, KCAL News captured footage of at least one person who was detained outside one home in the area on suspicion of looting. Officials have advised anyone seeking to take advantage of the tragedy at hand to reconsider or face adequate consequences.
This is just one of several large fires currently raging within Los Angeles County, which have combined to torch tens of thousands of acres and destroy thousands of structures.
Farther west in the Pacific Palisades, more than 15,000 acres and neighborhoods worth of homes have been destroyed by the massive Palisades Fire, while in eastern Los Angeles County, the Eaton Fire left five people dead and razed hundreds of buildings. A third fire, the Hurst Fire, has burned more than 700 acres in the San Fernando Valley and forced thousands of residents to evacuate.
Investigators have not revealed details on suspected causes for any of the fires.
Southern California is currently in the midst of one of the worst and most powerful windstorms to hit the region in the last decade, according to the National Weather Service. Some areas have been battered by winds reaching up to 80 mph, which has fueled each of the fire's rapid growths and the erratic behavior of flames.
RELATED: How to help those affected by wildfires in LA County | KCAL Cares
This is a developing story. Check back for details.
Fire evacuation order lifted for LA's Hollywood Hills West
An evacuation order for Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills West neighbourhood has been lifted after authorities said a wildfire there had been brought under control.
The LA Fire Department (LAFD) urged people in a statement "to be careful while returning to your homes".
Some 15,000 local residents had been earlier asked to leave because of the Sunset Fire, one of at least five large-scale wildfires which have caused widespread devastation across LA and neighbouring areas.
Five people have been confirmed killed.
The LAFD lifted the evacuation order for Hollywood Hills West at 07:30 local time (15:30 GMT) on Thursday.
The first blaze began on Tuesday in the city's Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, near Malibu, with others subsequently breaking out across the north of the city.
The fire in Hollywood Hills, a residential neighbourhood overlooking the historic Hollywood area of the city, began at around 18:00 on Wednesday.
Less than two hours later, much of the heart of Hollywood was blanketed with thick smoke, and the tops of the palm trees that line its streets were barely visible.
People used sweatshirts to cover their faces to help them breathe, while others - clearly surprised by the fire - wore only pyjamas. Many carried bags and suitcases, talking on their phones as they made plans for where to go.
Many of the roads near the fire - including Hollywood Boulevard, home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame - were gridlocked with traffic. Some people even drove on the wrong side of the road as they tried to get out of the area.
- Follow live: New wildfire sweeps through Hollywood Hills
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- What role is climate change playing?
Resident Anna Waldman told the BBC she had set out to walk her dog but smelled smoke almost instantly when she went outside.
She went back inside and, looking out her back windows, saw fire, and watched as it moved quickly through the Hollywood Hills, coming to within a block of her home.
She packed what she could: food, clothes, blankets, food for her three small dogs.
"I can't believe this," she said in exhaustion, pulling down her face mask.
Makayla Jackson, 26, and her two-year-old son, Ramari, had been evacuated from a homeless shelter that was in danger of burning, and now stood on the street waiting for a ride to a high school where help was being offered to people.
"They just told us to get out and go," she said.
By Wednesday night Sunset Boulevard, the famous strip in West Hollywood, lay in ruins, according to reports in the LA Times.
Local residents told the newspaper banks, cafes and supermarkets they had frequented for decades were completely destroyed.
Michael Payton, store director of the Erewhon supermarket chain, said the shop, famous for its patronage by Los Angeles A-listers, had survived but that the area was levelled.
"The whole Palisades is done," he told the newspaper, "The whole town is done. This is complete devastation."
Firefighters tackling the blazes have experienced water shortages and have had to resort to taking water from swimming pools and ponds.
Officials said three separate one-million-gallon tanks were full before the fires began, but that the elevation of the fires meant water couldn't move quickly enough to hydrants in the affected areas.
The city also doesn't typically see fires of this magnitude - the Palisades blaze is already the most destructive in its history - and its systems are designed for urban use, not fighting wildfires.
180,000 people have been ordered to evacuate across LA County.
Homes of celebrities including Paris Hilton and Billy Crystal have been destroyed.
California Wildfire Live Updates: New Fire Ignites In San Fernando Valley—As Death Toll Reaches 6
A fire erupted in western San Fernando Valley on Thursday afternoon, becoming one of six active fires in Los Angeles County as the region endures historically destructive blazes that have so far killed at least six people.
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The Palisades Fire began around 10:30 a.m. local time Tuesday and burned 17,234 acres as of Thursday morning, 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. Cal Fire continued to report 0% fire containment Thursday. Los Angeles Fire Department chief Kristin M. Crowley said Thursday “it is safe to say that the Palisades fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles,” noting preliminary reports estimate thousands of structures have been damaged or destroyed, The New York Times reported.
The second blaze, called the Eaton Fire, began Tuesday evening in Eaton Canyon near the San Gabriel Mountains and grew rapidly Wednesday to cover 10,600 acres, with 0% contained as of Thursday afternoon. The Eaton Fire also triggered a round of mandatory evacuations in the nearby areas of Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre. City officials said Thursday more than 1,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed in the greater Pasadena area.
The Hurst Fire was reported later 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 an 8:30 a.m. PST update Thursday, the Hurst fire covered 671 acres, as authorities contained 10% of the blaze.
The Lidia Fire was first reported Wednesday afternoon, burned 348 acres and was 60% contained Thursday morning, according to Cal Fire. Anthony Marrone, fire chief for Los Angeles County, said Thursday forward progress on the fire had been stopped. LAist reported the fire, which began in the Angeles National Forest, posed such an extreme threat that the forest will remain closed for at least one week.
The Sunset Fire, which broke out Wednesday evening, grew to engulf around 43 acres. Bass said Thursday the fire was fully contained. Evacuation orders in the area were lifted at 7:30 a.m., and LAFD advised residents returning to their homes to use caution as workers were still in the area. The fire burned near a number of Hollywood landmarks, including the popular urban hiking trail Runyon Canyon, Hollywood Boulevard and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Woodley Fire was first reported Wednesday morning, and fire crews were able to hold the fire to 30 acres, LAist reported. It was reported as 100% contained Thursday and officials said there were no current threats tied to it.
JPMorgan analysts led by Jimmy Bhullar estimated in a note Thursday there could be $50 billion in total damages, including $20 billion in insured losses, though they noted “estimates of potential economic and insured losses are likely to increase.” Those estimates would place the fires as the costliest in U.S. history. Jasper Cooper, vice president-senior credit officer at Moody’s Ratings, said the credit rating business expects “insured losses to run in the billions of dollars given the high value of homes and businesses in the impacted areas,” adding “commercial property losses could be significant.”
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 Wednesday. 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.
See a full list here. Paris Hilton, who wrote she had evacuated her home, reportedly lost her Malibu home to the fire. Billy Crystal and his wife Janice said they lost their Pacific Palisades home to the fire, after first moving to the location in 1979. Jamie Lee Curtis, who appeared on “The Tonight Show” on Wednesday, said she likely lost her home to the fire and wrote on Instagram calling for people to “reach out to anyone who lives in Los Angeles” to offer assistance. Eugene Levy, the Pacific Palisades’ honorary mayor, told the Los Angeles Times he fled his home and said the “smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon.” Meanwhile, actor Mark Hamill wrote on Instagram Tuesday that he evacuated his Malibu home, while 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.
Curtis, who advocated in a “Tonight Show” appearance Wednesday for people to donate to relief efforts, said on Instagram on Thursday she was donating $1 million to start a support fund for the city and people impacted by the fire. The Los Angeles Chargers announced Wednesday they were giving $200,000 to wildfire relief efforts. Bethenny Frankel’s charity also announced on Fox News on Thursday it was raising money for California wildfire victims.
No—despite social media rumors and AI-generated images. Read more here.
All Los Angeles Unified Schools will remain closed Friday after being shut down Thursday. Al schools under the Pasadena Unified School District will remain closed throughout the week. Several other school districts in the region also canceled classes Wednesday through Friday, including the Glendale Unified School District and Burbank Unified School District, and two other area districts—Alhambra Unified School District and South Pasadena Unified School District—closed through Thursday. Pepperdine University announced Thursday morning its undergraduate classes and the “vast majority” of its graduate classes on the Malibu campus will take place online through Jan. 19. The university’s Calabasas campus closed Wednesday, with administrators noting students with classes scheduled for Calabasas, West Los Angeles or the Irvine campuses “will receive further guidance from their deans and/or supervisors.”
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.
The Thursday matchup between the Lakers and Hornets was postponed with no indication of a make-up date. A Wednesday night NHL game between the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames at Crypto.com Arena was also postponed and has yet to be rescheduled. A women’s college basketball game featuring Pepperdine University and the University of Portland scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday was postponed, according to the West Coast Conference. The city’s SoFi Stadium is the scheduled venue for a Jan. 13 NFL wild-card playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings. The matchup is still slated to be played Monday night, though the NFL noted State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, could serve as a backup venue should the fires impact operations at SoFi.
Los Angeles International Airport, located about 19 miles south of the Pacific Palisades, has not experienced significant flight cancellations as of Thursday morning, according to FlightAware. Just 1% of departures were canceled and 5% were delayed as of 8:55 a.m. PST. Some flights were disrupted at the much smaller Hollywood Burbank Airport: About 8% of departures were delayed and another 1% were canceled Thursday.
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.
President-elect Donald Trump and one of his key advisers, Elon Musk, have been critical of the local government’s response to the fire since they broke out. In a Thursday post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Musk claimed “the immense loss of homes in LA is primarily due to” bad governance leading to a shortage of water and “nonsensical overregulation that prevented creating fire breaks and doing brush clearing.” Trump has also taken aim at Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying on Truth Social Thursday “nobody has ever seen such failed numbers before!” (referring to the Palisades Fire’s zero containment) and blamed it on “gross incompetence” by Newsom and Bass.
With negligible rain in 8 months, Southern California swings toward drought (LA Times)
Residents flee on foot as Palisades Fire torches hillside homes (LAist)
New wildfire breaks out in LA's Hollywood Hills, fire chief says
Jan 8 (Reuters) - A new wildfire broke out in scrubland in Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills, LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told a press conference on Wednesday, adding to five other blazes raging in Los Angeles county.
Fires that started on Tuesday have killed at least five people, destroying hundreds of homes and stretching firefighting resources and water supplies to the limit, as more than 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate.
