5 Dead, 100,000 Under Evacuation Orders as Fires Sweep Across Los Angeles
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Los Angeles residents were fleeing for their lives on Wednesday as blazing wildfires engulfed their homes and businesses.
Here’s what to know about the origins of the fires and the threats they pose:
Five people have been reported killed in the fast-moving Eaton Fire that has burned 10,600 acres in Pasadena and Altadena, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
The fire, which started at about 6:20 p.m. Tuesday in Eaton Canyon, remained 0 percent contained and had destroyed between 200 to 500 structures by Wednesday afternoon.
Another 13,000 structures are at risk, according to Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
Plumes of smoke from multiple destructive fires throughout Los Angeles County caused air quality to plummet on Wednesday, reaching “very unhealthy” levels, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) reported.
Walls of black smoke created by the Palisades and Eaton fires created apocalyptic scenes, turning the sun red and hovering over parts of Riverside, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles counties.
The air quality district issued a wildfire smoke advisory Wednesday that was expected to last until about 5 p.m. Thursday.
More than 1.5 million Southern California customers are without power Wednesday as multiple fires continue to burn and dangerous wind gusts move through the region, according to poweroutage.us.
Southern California Edison (SCE), which serves 15 million people in central, coastal, and southern areas of the state, reported outages for more than 1.3 million customers.
Diane Castro, spokeswoman for SCE, said the utility was prepared for the storm.
Recent budget cuts could be hampering the Los Angeles City Fire Department’s efforts to tame the wildfires threatening the city.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass approved more than $819.6 million in appropriations for the city fire department last June, slashing its budget by $17.6 million.
The reduction was slightly less than Bass’s initial proposal, which would have marked a $23 million cut from the previous year.
Among the landmark buildings destroyed in the Los Angeles area fires are the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center in the Eaton fire, which has more than 100 years of history, according to temple officials. All of the buildings on the campus have burned to the ground, including the sanctuary, chapel, and classrooms.
"This news is beyond devastating and heartbreaking for us all," said representatives in a letter to the community.
The Palisades Branch Public Library has also been destroyed in the Palisades fire. The building had been damaged in an October 2020 fire and had closed for nearly two years for renovation before reopening again in 2022.
A raging wildfire that originated on Palisades Drive in Los Angeles has expanded to engulf more than 15,800 acres.
The Palisades fire was the first of several to threaten Los Angeles County residents and businesses since Tuesday morning, prompting thousands to evacuate.
As of 1:23 p.m. local time on Wednesday, more than 300 structures have been decimated by the blaze. Another 13,300 are poised for destruction.
Two suspects were arrested by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies Jan. 8 for allegedly looting in an area evacuated in the Eaton Fire, according to Sheriff Robert Luna.
The department was unable to identify the two people arrested Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s always sad when I have to say this, but part of our responsibility is to make sure no one loots or steals from our residents and community members,” Luna said in a morning news conference.
President Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for California as the southern end of the state continues to battle multiple devastating wildfires.
The declaration will allow affected residents immediate access to funds and resources for their recovery efforts.
“As the fires continue to devastate communities, President Biden is focused on mobilizing life-saving and life-sustaining resources across the region,” the White House said in announcing the declaration on Wednesday.
High fire risk conditions prompted Southern California Edison to preemptively cut power to more than 153,000 customers as a safety precaution on Wednesday.
The widespread shutoffs stretched from the Santa Barbara area over to Lancaster and down to Temecula.
Another 69,000 customers were experiencing outages due to the fierce wildfires spreading throughout the region.
Weather service meteorologists in Los Angeles recorded life-threatening and destructive winds reaching 100 miles per hour in the mountains on Mount Lukens Truck Trail Wednesday, amid multiple wind-fueled wildfires in the region.
Magic Mountain Truck Trail recorded its strongest wind gust at 90 miles per hour, while gusts at the Hollywood-Burbank Airport were recorded at 84 miles per hour.
Eaton Canyon, where the Eaton Fire continued to burn Wednesday, recorded gusts up to 70 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
More than 20 school districts in Los Angeles County are closed Wednesday and possibly Thursday, including school campuses in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, according to the county Office of Education. Officials were expected to reevaluate conditions each day to determine when they might reopen campuses.
In Malibu, north of Pacific Palisades, Pepperdine University was also closed Wednesday.
Malibu City Hall was closed and all city programs were also canceled until further notice, according to an update posted by the City of Malibu on Facebook.
Vice President Kamala Harris said on Wednesday that she had been briefed on the wildfires and would continue to receive updates on containment efforts.
“President Biden and I are committed to ensuring that no community has to respond to this disaster alone. We have already mobilized federal resources to help suppress the fires, provide overhead support, and begin assisting those impacted,” Harris said in a statement, urging her neighbors to remain vigilant and cooperate with local authorities.
Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, own a home in Los Angeles. Their house is one of many under evacuation orders as firefighters work to extinguish the flames.
None of the 29 fire departments in Los Angeles County were prepared “for this type of widespread disaster,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told reporters on Wednesday.
At a press conference with other local officials, Marrone said his department had pre-positioned personnel in the Santa Monica mountains and was prepared for “one or two major brush fires,” but not four.
“There are not enough firefighters in LA County to address four separate fires of this magnitude,” he said.
LOS ANGELES—Fire officials have requested an additional 10 strike teams, including 50 fire engines, to the Saddle Peak Road area of the Palisades on Wednesday as the fire continues to destroy buildings.
Air attack teams have asked for four large air tankers and one larger air tanker to fly over the fire and drop retardant and water.
Southern California remains under a red flag warning, meaning strong wind gusts and low humidity pose extreme fire danger throughout the region on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Actor James Woods and reality star Spencer Pratt are among thousands of Southern California residents affected by a fast-moving brush fire that has engulfed the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES—A group of people gathered at a viewpoint in Playa Del Rey, California, looking at the Palisades Fire burning across the city on Jan. 8.
“I have so many clients that live over there; I hope they all got out because that fire looks bad,” Mario Benitez, a real estate agent, told The Epoch Times.
“A lot of them are elderly, and that has me worried.”
President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on the unfolding fire devastation in southern California, blaming Gov. Gavin Newsom for the spread of the wildfires.
Trump noted in a Jan. 8 social media post that the state's environmental policies prevent “millions of gallons of water” from excess rain and snowmelt from flowing into the drier areas of California, “including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way.”
State and federal regulations require California to direct some of that runoff into the ocean to protect the habitat of the endangered delta smelt fish. Trump attributed those regulations to Newsom.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called in the California National Guard to assist first responders in fighting the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires.
Announcing the move in a social media post, Newsom’s office said Wednesday that the California National Guard and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection share “a unique partnership unlike any other state—skilled, trained personnel with vast wildfire fighting experience.”
The state has also secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help suppress the Hurst fire threatening San Fernando and Newhall.
Los Angeles residents were fleeing for their lives on Wednesday as blazing wildfires engulfed their homes and businesses.
Here’s what to know about the origins of the fires and the threats they pose:
More Than 30,000 Evacuated in LA
At least 30,000 residents were under an evacuation order due to a series of wildfires around the Los Angeles area on Wednesday morning, authorities say.A rapidly growing wildfire raged across an upscale section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, destroying numerous buildings and creating traffic jams as more than 30,000 people evacuated. Meanwhile, a second blaze doubled in size some 30 miles inland.
Newsom said that “a highly dangerous windstorm” is creating an “extreme fire risk, and we’re not out of the woods.” He added, “We’re already seeing the destructive impacts with this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes.”
Those include exceptionally dry relative humidity levels, according to Peter Mullinax, a meteorologist with the weather service. He says the winds are expected to continue into Thursday, “providing very little in terms of any relief.”
Red flag warnings, which denote the risk of a fire due to winds and dry conditions, were issued around the foothills above Los Angeles, near Lompoc and Santa Maria as well as Oxnard, according to the weather service.
A number of Hollywood celebrities have indicated in media interviews and on social media that they’ve been affected by the fires. Actor Steve Guttenberg told KTLA television that friends of his were impeded from evacuating because others had abandoned their cars on the road.
Longtime actor and conservative commentator James Woods said on X he was able to evacuate his Pacific Palisades house but he added: “I do not know at this moment if our home is still standing.”
About 13,000 structures are under threat, according to authorities. The exact number of buildings damaged or destroyed by the blaze is not yet clear.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards has called off the live, in-person announcement of its 31st awards nominations scheduled for Wednesday due to the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles.
Instead, the nominations for awards honoring the best in film and television performances will be unveiled through a press release and on the official SAG Awards website at 7.30 a.m. PT on Wednesday.
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