Fierce wildfires are raging in the Los Angeles area, fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds, sending residents fleeing from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke. Thousands of firefighters were battling at least three separate blazes on Wednesday, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena. One of the fires was the most destructive in the modern history of the city of LA.
Here's the latest:
Eaton fire has damaged between 200 and 500 structures, officials say
The Eaton fire burning north of Pasadena, California, has damaged or destroyed between 200 and 500 structures, Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
The fire has burned over 16.5 square miles (42.7 square kilometers) and is so far uncontained, Augustin said. He said wind gusts reached over 70 mph (113 kph) Tuesday night.
Augustin said the water system was stretched and was further hampered by power outages.
“But I’ll be clear,” he added, no matter how much water was available, “we were not stopping that fire last night. Those erratic wind gusts were throwing embers for multiple miles ahead of the fire.”
The voting window for Academy Awards nominations has been extended
The organization that puts on the Oscars has extended the voting window for Academy Awards nominations and delayed next week’s planned nominations announcement.
Bill Kramer, the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, shared the postponements to the film academy members in a letter obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Nominations and the voting window have both been extended by two days. Oscar nominations will now be revealed on Sunday, Jan. 19. Voting closes on Jan. 14.
“We want to offer our deepest condolences to those who have been impacted by the devastating fires across Southern California,” Kramer wrote. “So many of our members and industry colleagues live and work in the Los Angeles area, and we are thinking of you.”
Evacuation orders issued for some densely populated areas of Santa Monica
Evacuation orders and warnings have been issued for some densely populated Santa Monica neighborhoods just north of the city’s famous pier.
City officials say people in the affected zones should leave now, including those in evacuation warning areas who may need additional time to get out. Police were being deployed to help with evacuations, the city wrote on its website.
The city says its Big Blue Bus is offering free transport every hour to evacuation centers.
5 people have died in wildfires in the Los Angeles area, officials say
The death toll from the wildfires burning in the Los Angeles area has risen to five, according to Nicole Nishida, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Officials had reported earlier that two people had died. Officials say they have no other details on the deaths.
Palisades fire destroys Will Rogers’ historic home
The Palisades fire has destroyed the historic ranch house that belonged to Hollywood legend Will Rogers.
California State Parks said in a statement that Rogers’ historic ranch house was among multiple structures destroyed by the devastating fire at both Will Rogers State Historic Park and Topanga State Park. The historic Topanga Ranch Motel, built by William Randolph Hearst in 1929, also burned down.
Rogers’ ranch, built on land he bought in the 1920s, occupied some 359 acres in what is now Pacific Palisades. It included a 31-room ranch house, a stable, golf course and riding trails. His wife donated it to California State Parks in 1944.
Pentagon to send helicopters to help California fight fires
The Pentagon will send 10 Navy helicopters to help fight fires burning in California, said Sabrina Singh, spokesperson for the department.
The order has yet to be finalized, but officials expect it will be an active duty unit with Navy Sea Hawks based in Southern California that can be equipped to carry water.
Singh also said Wednesday that the military is prepared to make four additional modular air firefighting systems available to the California National Guard. Those would likely come from other National Guard units in the country.
Iconic Reel Inn fish market off Pacific Coast Highway burns
The Reel Inn, an iconic Malibu seafood shack and fish market known for its Pacific Coast Highway location and kitschy vibe, has burned.
Owner Teddy Leonard says she and her husband Andy watched it burn on TV Tuesday evening from their home a few miles away. A short time later they began packing up their belongings, evacuating and heading to a short-term rental home in Santa Monica.
On Wednesday, Leonard was hopeful her home may have survived the flames. She said restaurant employees have been texting, hoping to rebuild, but it may be a challenge.
“Part of the charm for our little fish shack was my husband’s, you know, collecting of old surfboards, going back to the 1930s that were hanging in the rafters,” Leonard said.
The Reel Inn opened in 1986, but several other restaurants have operated in the same location since the 1940s.
“My husband and I, we keep looking at each other and going, ‘We have each other. We have these beautiful grandchildren and children and life,’” Leonard said.
Over 1.5 million people in Southern California are without power
More than 1.5 million customers were without power in Southern California on Wednesday afternoon as wildfires tore through several Los Angeles county neighborhoods, according to tracking site PowerOutage.us.
Well over half of the roughly 334,000 customers in Ventura County were without power, along with more than 957,000 customers in Los Angeles County.
Power companies often shut off power as a public safety measure when extreme winds, like the ones pummeling Southern California, are forecasted.
Already crowded hospitals now contend with medical emergencies from smoke inhalation
Wildfire smoke is known to cause heart attacks and worsening asthma. Now, patients suffering from those conditions are showing up in emergency rooms at a time when hospitals are already full because of flu season, said Dr. Puneet Gupta, the assistant medical director for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
“We have a number of hospitals threatened, and if they have to be evacuated, it could become a crisis,” said Gupta, also a spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Many at Pasadena evacuation center were evacuated from assisted living facilities
Several hundred evacuees were at the Pasadena evacuation center by Wednesday afternoon. Many were elderly, sitting wheelchair to wheelchair, and from assisted living facilities.
Donald Fisher, 78, said he was first to be wheeled onto the bus at the Camellia Gardens Care Center to be taken to the shelter around 8 a.m.
“I can stand up but I can’t walk,” Fisher said. “I think that the city of Pasadena did a marvelous job.”
The earlier arrivals were able to snag green cots to sleep on, while others wondered where they would sleep at night when the cots ran out.
The shelter was providing hot meals, as well as food for dogs and cats brought there.
LA Metro suspends fares due to complications from power outages
The LA Metro suspended fares on Wednesday after intermittent power outages made it difficult for riders to purchase and load fare cards.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn wrote on the social media site X that Metro rides would be free system-wide for the remainder of the day.
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Fierce wildfires are raging in the Los Angeles area, fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds, sending residents fleeing from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke. Thousands of firefighters were battling at least three separate blazes on Wednesday, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena. One of the fires was the most destructive in the modern history of the city of LA.
Here's the latest:
Biden and Mayor Bass discuss the wildfires
The White House says the president and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass discussed the latest updates by phone as Biden flew back to Washington, D.C., aboard Air Force One.
Preliminary damage and losses are in the billions, AccuWeather says
AccuWeather estimates $52 billion to $57 billion in preliminary damage and economic loss has occurred from the raging Los Angeles area wildfires.
The company said the estimate comes from an advisory that will soon be released.
Oregon is sending strike teams to help battle the fires in California
“We both understand that fire does not recognize map lines, and we are ready to help each other whenever there is a need,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said in a statement.
“During our historic 2024 wildfire season, California sent us help and in their time of need, we are working as fast as possible to lend them support during this emergency,” she added.
The 12 teams include 240 firefighters and 60 engines.
Their Wednesday mobilization comes after the Oregon agency received a request for assistance late Tuesday evening.
NHL postpones the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames
The Kings and Flames were set to play at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers are scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena on Thursday night.
“Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our fans, staff, and players safe.”
The NFL is also paying close attention to the potential impact of the fires on the two playoff-bound Los Angeles teams’ preparations and the Rams’ wild-card postseason game against the Minnesota Vikings scheduled for Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
The Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers both train in areas not threatened by fires, but both teams are monitoring the air quality and its potential impact on their preparations.
Critics Choice Awards postponed until Jan. 26
The awards were set to take place on Sunday at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, only miles from the Pacific Palisades neighborhood where fire was raging.
“This unfolding tragedy has already had a profound impact on our community. All our thoughts and prayers are with those battling the devastating fires and with all who have been affected,” said Critics Choice Association CEO Joey Berlin.
The awards will be broadcast live on E! and hosted by Chelsea Handler.
Biden heads back to Washington
After his briefing in Santa Monica, President Joe Biden flew on Marine One to Los Angeles International Airport for his flight back to Washington.
Reporters who accompanied Biden could see smoke from the windows of their Osprey aircraft.
The ride was bumpy as winds continued to be a challenge in the area.
Pacific Palisades fire is more destructive than 2008’s Sayre Fire
With an estimated 1,000 structures destroyed and the flames still growing on Wednesday, it is far more destructive than the second-most destructive, according to statistics kept by the Wildfire Alliance, a partnership between the city’s fire department and MySafe:LA.
Structures refers to homes and other buildings.
The last most destructive fire was the Sayre Fire in November 2008 that destroyed 604 structures in Sylmar, the northernmost suburb of the city.
Before that, a 1961 Bel Air fire stood for nearly half a century as the most destructive fire in the city’s history. It burned nearly 500 houses in the tony hillside enclave, including the homes of actor Burt Lancaster, Zsa Zsa Gabor and other celebrities.
Los Angeles firefighting aircraft resume flights
Aircraft had been grounded due to extreme winds, dramatically hampering the firefight.
Los Angeles City Fire Capt. Jacob Raabe said aircraft resumed dropping fire retardant and water on the Palisades Fire at around 7 a.m. Wednesday.
Biden attends briefing on California wildfires
“It’s going to take time,” President Joe Biden warned when talking about the recovery from the wildfires during a briefing at a Santa Monica fire station on Wednesday.
Newsom, who stood next to Biden, thanked him for his support.
“It’s impossible for me to express the level of appreciation,” he said.
Kristin Crowley, the Los Angeles fire chief, said her team knew there was a “significant threat” from the Pacific Palisades fire as soon as it started because of the “high, high, high winds.”
Crowley said she’d never seen anything like the wind conditions in her 25 years of experience.
The Eaton Fire could become historic
The Eaton Fire stands to become the largest wildfire to burn in California during the month of January in the past 41 years.
The fire, which ignited on Tuesday north of Pasadena, has now burned more than 16 1/2 square miles (42.9 square kilometers), according to state fire personnel.
Federal data shows just six wildfires have burned more than two square miles (5.18 square kilometers) in the month of January in California since 1984.
The largest was the Viejas Fire, which burned 17.1 square miles (44.3 square km) in 2001 in the mountains east of San Diego.
More recently, the Colby Fire burned just over 3 square miles (8.2 square kilometers) near Glendora, California in 2014.
Since 2014, wildfires of any size in January have been uncommon, with the exception of 2021 and this year, according to CalFire data.
The Altadena Golf Course has been destroyed
Johnny Eusebio, general manager of the Altadena Golf Course, said the course was lost to the fire.
A video posted on social media shows smoldering buildings surrounded by debris and flames and a tattered flag flapping in the wind.
Premiere of Pamela Anderson’s ‘The Last Showgirl’ canceled due to the wildfires
The film was originally scheduled to premiere at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, but the event was called off as the severe conditions continued impacting parts of the city.
Anderson, best known for her role in “Baywatch,” stars in “The Last Showgirl,” where she portrays an aging Las Vegas showgirl. She earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the film, which is still set to debut in theaters nationwide on Friday.
Excess water demand caused fire hydrants to run dry
For roughly 15 hours, water systems faced four times more than normal demand, lowering water pressure and causing some fire hydrants to run dry, according to officials from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Demand was so high that it wasn’t enough to fill the three, one-million-gallon (3,785,411-liter) tanks that help maintain pressure for the hydrants in the hills of Palisades.
One tank ran out late Tuesday afternoon, another in the evening, and the third early Wednesday morning.
LADWP is sending in about 20 mobile water tankers to the area to help with suppression, in addition to refilling water trucks at some pressurized hydrants in the area, according to chief engineer Janisse Quiñones.
It takes about 30 minutes to refill about 4000 gallons (15,142 liters) of water.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Multiple massive wildfires tore across the Los Angeles area with devastating force early Wednesday, destroying more than 1,000 structures and killing at least two people as desperate residents escaped through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke.
At least four separate blazes were burning in the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, home of the famed Rose Parade. With thousands of firefighters already attacking the flames, the Los Angeles Fire Department put out a plea for off-duty firefighters to help, and weather conditions were too windy for firefighting aircraft to fly, further hampering the fight. Fire officials hoped to get the flights up later Wednesday.
In addition to the two deaths, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said many others were hurt in the fires, which threatened at least 28,000 structures.
Images of the devastation that emerged overnight showed luxurious homes that had collapsed in a whirlwind of flaming embers. The tops of palm trees whipped against a glowing red sky.
At least 70,000 residents were ordered to evacuate, officials said. The flames marched toward highly populated and affluent neighborhoods home to California’s rich and famous. Hollywood stars, including Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods, were among those forced to flee.
The home of Vice President Kamala Harris in Los Angeles was included in one of the evacuation zones, although no one was there, according to a spokesperson.
“We are prioritizing life over everything else,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. Several hundred deputies were helping residents evacuate and responding to emergencies, he said.
Flames that broke out Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the foothills northeast of LA spread so rapidly that staff at a senior living center had to push dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a parking lot. Residents — one as old as 102 — waited in their bedclothes as embers fell around them until ambulances, buses and construction vans arrived to take them to safety.
Another blaze that started hours earlier ripped through the city’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood, a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity homes and memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin' USA.” In the race to get to safety, roadways became impassable when scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases.
Sheriece Wallace was unaware there was a fire burning around her until her sister called at the moment a helicopter made a water drop over her house.
“I was like, ‘It’s raining,’” Wallace said. “She’s like, ‘No, it’s not raining. Your neighborhood is on fire. You need to get out.’”
“As soon as I opened my door, it was like right there,” she said. “The first thing I did was looked at the trees to see where the wind was blowing. Because it hit me. It blew me back.” She was able to leave.
A traffic jam on Palisades Drive prevented emergency vehicles from getting through, and a bulldozer was brought in to push the abandoned cars to the side and create a path. Video along the Pacific Coast Highway showed widespread destruction of homes and businesses along the famed roadway.
Pacific Palisades resident Kelsey Trainor said the only road in and out of her neighborhood was blocked. Ash fell all around while fires burned on both sides of the road.
“We looked across and the fire had jumped from one side of the road to the other side of the road,” Trainor said. “People were getting out of the cars with their dogs and babies and bags. They were crying and screaming."
A third wildfire started Tuesday evening and quickly prompted evacuations in Sylmar, a San Fernando Valley community that's the northernmost neighborhood in Los Angeles. A fourth fire was reported early Wednesday in Coachella, in Riverside County. The causes were under investigation.
Flames were being pushed by Santa Ana winds topping 60 mph (97 kph) in some places Tuesday, increasing to 80 mph (129 kph) by early Wednesday, according to reports received by the National Weather Service. They could top 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills, including in areas that have not seen substantial rain in months.
California’s wildfire season typically begins in June or July and runs through October, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association, but January wildfires are not unprecedented. There was one in 2022 and 10 in 2021, according to CalFire.
The 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, the association said.
“This will likely be the most destructive windstorm seen (since a) 2011 windstorm that did extensive damage to Pasadena and nearby foothills of the San Gabriel Valley,” the weather service said in a red-flag warning early Wednesday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X early Wednesday that California had deployed more than 1,400 firefighting personnel to combat the blazes. “Emergency officials, firefighters and first responders are all hands on deck through the night to do everything possible to protect lives,” Newsom said.
Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin said much of the city was under evacuation orders as his department waits for winds to die down so he can get aircraft up to starting dousing the flames. Until that happens, it’s going to be difficult to get the blaze there under control, Augustin told KABC television, the ABC affiliate.
Fire departments across California were sending firefighters because crews in the Los Angeles area were stretched to the limit, he said.
President Joe Biden canceled plans to travel to inland Riverside County, where he was to announce the establishment of two new national monuments. He remained in Los Angeles, where smoke was visible from his hotel, and was briefed on the wildfires.
Officials did not give an estimate of structures damaged or destroyed in the Pacific Palisades wildfire, but they said about 30,000 residents were under evacuation orders and more than 13,000 structures were under threat. Newsom visited the scene and said many homes had burned. He declared a state of emergency.
The fire burned down Temescal Canyon, a popular hiking area surrounded by dense neighborhoods of multimillion-dollar homes. Flames jumped famous Sunset Boulevard and burned parts of the Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions, including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie,” the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday” and the TV series “Teen Wolf.”
Several people in Malibu were treated for burns, and a firefighter had a serious head injury, according to Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott.
By early Wednesday, the Eaton Fire, which started the day before, had quickly burned 3.5 square miles (9 square kilometers), according to fire officials. The Hurst Fire jumped to 500 acres (202 hectares) and the Palisades Fire, which started Tuesday morning and sent up a dramatic plume of smoke visible across Los Angeles, had burned 4.5 square miles (11.6 square kilometers), according to Angeles National Forest. The Tyler Fire in Coachella was relatively small, burning 15 acres (6 hectares). All fires were at 0% containment.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 180,000 people were without power mostly in Los Angeles County, according to the tracking website PowerOutage.us. Southern California Edison shut off power to some customers because of safety concerns related to high winds and fire risks. More than 500,000 could face shutoffs depending on weather conditions, the utility said.
Recent dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, where there’s been very little rain so far this season. Southern California hasn’t seen more than 0.1 inches (0.25 centimeters) of rain since early May.
Longtime Palisades resident Will Adams said he immediately went to pick his two kids up from St. Matthews Parish School when he heard the fire was nearby. Embers flew into his wife's car as she tried to evacuate, he said.
“She vacated her car and left it running,” Adams said. She and many other residents walked down toward the ocean until it was safe.
Adams said he had never witnessed anything like it in the 56 years he’s lived there.
“It is crazy, it’s everywhere, in all the nooks and crannies of the Palisades. One home’s safe, the other one’s up in flames,” he said.
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Watson reported from San Diego. Associated Press writers Jeff Martin in Atlanta, Janie Har in San Francisco, Hallie Golden in Seattle, video journalist Eugene Garcia in Los Angeles, Ethan Swope in Pasadena, Brian Melley in London, Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland, and Tammy Webber in Detroit contributed to this report.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Multiple massive wildfires tore across the Los Angeles area with devastating force early Wednesday as residents made a desperate escape from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke.
At least three separate blazes were burning in the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, home of the famed Rose Parade. With thousands of firefighters already attacking the flames, the Los Angeles Fire Department put out a plea for off-duty firefighters to help, and weather conditions were too windy for firefighting aircraft to fly, further hampering the fight.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said two people were killed and many others hurt in the fires, which have destroyed more than 1,000 structures.
Images of the devastation that emerged overnight showed luxurious homes that had collapsed in a whirlwind of flaming embers. The tops of palm trees whipped against a glowing red sky.
Tens of thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate as the fires marched toward highly populated and affluent neighborhoods home to California’s rich and famous. Hollywood stars, including Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods, were among those forced to flee.
Flames that broke out Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the foothills northeast of LA spread so rapidly that staff at a senior living center had to push dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a parking lot. Residents — one as old as 102 — waited in their bedclothes as embers fell around them until ambulances, buses and construction vans arrived to take them to safety.
Another blaze that started hours earlier ripped through the city’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood, a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity homes and memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin' USA.” In the race to get to safety, roadways became impassable when scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases.
Sheriece Wallace was unaware there was a fire burning around her until her sister called at the moment a helicopter made a water drop over her house.
“I was like, ‘It’s raining,’” Wallace said. “She’s like, ‘No, it’s not raining. Your neighborhood is on fire. You need to get out.’”
“As soon as I opened my door, it was like right there,” she said. “The first thing I did was looked at the trees to see where the wind was blowing. Because it hit me. It blew me back.” She was able to leave.
A traffic jam on Palisades Drive prevented emergency vehicles from getting through, and a bulldozer was brought in to push the abandoned cars to the side and create a path. Video along the Pacific Coast Highway showed widespread destruction of homes and businesses along the famed roadway.
Pacific Palisades resident Kelsey Trainor said the only road in and out of her neighborhood was blocked. Ash fell all around while fires burned on both sides of the road.
“We looked across and the fire had jumped from one side of the road to the other side of the road,” Trainor said. “People were getting out of the cars with their dogs and babies and bags. They were crying and screaming."
A third wildfire started Tuesday evening and quickly prompted evacuations in Sylmar, a San Fernando Valley community that's the northernmost neighborhood in Los Angeles. A fourth fire was reported early Wednesday in Coachella, in Riverside County. The causes were under investigation.
Flames were being pushed by Santa Ana winds topping 60 mph (97 kph) in some places Tuesday, increasing to 80 mph (129 kph) by early Wednesday, according to reports received by the National Weather Service. They could top 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills, including in areas that have not seen substantial rain in months.
California’s wildfire season typically begins in June or July and runs through October, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association, but January wildfires are not unprecedented. There was one in 2022 and 10 in 2021, according to CalFire.
The 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, the association said.
“This will likely be the most destructive windstorm seen (since a) 2011 windstorm that did extensive damage to Pasadena and nearby foothills of the San Gabriel Valley,” the weather service said in a red-flag warning early Wednesday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X early Wednesday that California had deployed more than 1,400 firefighting personnel to combat the blazes. “Emergency officials, firefighters and first responders are all hands on deck through the night to do everything possible to protect lives,” Newsom said.
Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin said much of the city was under evacuation orders as his department waits for winds to die down so he can get aircraft up to starting dousing the flames. Until that happens, it’s going to be difficult to get the blaze there under control, Augustin told KABC television, the ABC affiliate.
Fire departments across California were sending firefighters because crews in the Los Angeles area were stretched to the limit, he said.
President Joe Biden canceled plans to travel to inland Riverside County, where he was to announce the establishment of two new national monuments. He remained in Los Angeles, where smoke was visible from his hotel, and was briefed on the wildfires.
Officials did not give an estimate of structures damaged or destroyed in the Pacific Palisades wildfire, but they said about 30,000 residents were under evacuation orders and more than 13,000 structures were under threat. Newsom visited the scene and said many homes had burned. He declared a state of emergency.
The fire burned down Temescal Canyon, a popular hiking area surrounded by dense neighborhoods of multimillion-dollar homes. Flames jumped famous Sunset Boulevard and burned parts of the Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions, including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie,” the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday” and the TV series “Teen Wolf.”
Several people in Malibu were treated for burns, and a firefighter had a serious head injury, according to Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott.
By early Wednesday, the Eaton Fire, which started the day before, had quickly burned 3.5 square miles (9 square kilometers), according to fire officials. The Hurst Fire jumped to 500 acres (202 hectares) and the Palisades Fire, which started Tuesday morning and sent up a dramatic plume of smoke visible across Los Angeles, had burned 4.5 square miles (11.6 square kilometers), according to Angeles National Forest. The Tyler Fire in Coachella was relatively small, burning 15 acres (6 hectares). All fires were at 0% containment.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 180,000 people were without power mostly in Los Angeles County, according to the tracking website PowerOutage.us. Southern California Edison shut off power to some customers because of safety concerns related to high winds and fire risks. More than 500,000 could face shutoffs depending on weather conditions, the utility said.
Recent dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, where there’s been very little rain so far this season. Southern California hasn’t seen more than 0.1 inches (0.25 centimeters) of rain since early May.
Longtime Palisades resident Will Adams said he immediately went to pick his two kids up from St. Matthews Parish School when he heard the fire was nearby. Embers flew into his wife's car as she tried to evacuate, he said.
“She vacated her car and left it running,” Adams said. She and many other residents walked down toward the ocean until it was safe.
Adams said he had never witnessed anything like it in the 56 years he’s lived there.
“It is crazy, it’s everywhere, in all the nooks and crannies of the Palisades. One home’s safe, the other one’s up in flames,” he said.
LOS ANGELES (AP) —Wildfires tore across the Los Angeles area with devastating force on Wednesday after setting off a desperate escape from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke.
Flames broke out on Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast of LA while another blaze that started hours earlier ripped through the city’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood. A third wildfire started around 10:30 p.m. and prompted evacuations in Sylmar, the northernmost neighborhood in Los Angeles. The causes of all three fires were under investigation.
Here's the latest:
Eaton fire grows to over 3 square miles
Fire crews assigned to the Eaton fire burning in Pasadena are working to keep the blaze north of the 210 Freeway, east of Angeles Crest Highway, west of Santa Anita Avenue and south of Mount Wilson, according to an incident action plan developed for Wednesday operations.
The fire rapidly grew to more than 3.13 square miles (8.11 square kilometers) overnight amid dangerous fire weather conditions caused by strong winds and low levels of relative humidity.
Power outages affecting thousands in Los Angeles County
More than 180,000 customers were without power in southern California, with the vast majority of them in Los Angeles County, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide.
A full incident management team has been activated to combat the wildfires
It’s only the third time in 30 years that has happened in January, said David Acuña, a battalion chief for Cal Fire. Such a team, of officials from various agencies, is only assembled during major, complex events.
“This is a rare event” to have incidents like this in January, Acuña said, adding that wildfires are so common during other months that fire officials no longer talk about “fire seasons.”
“We now talk about ‘fire years,’” said Acuña. “We had wildfires pop up in December and now we have these in early January.”
Where are the fires currently burning?
Palisades fire: West of Los Angeles, by the sea. It has burned about 4.5 square miles (11.6 square kilometers).
Eaton fire: Altadena area, north of Pasadena. It has burned about 1.6 square miles (4 square kilometers).
Hurst fire: In the San Fernando Valley. It has burned about 500 acres (202 hectares).
Tyler fire: In Coachella, near Joshua Tree National Park. It has burned about 15 acres (6 hectares).
All four fires are currently at 0% containment.
Celebrities among those fleeing the Los Angeles fires
Wildfires that ripped through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles forced many Hollywood stars, including Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods, to evacuate their homes.
California firefighters are battling wind-whipped wildfires that are tearing across the area, destroying homes and straining resources as the fires burned uncontained early Wednesday.
The Pacific Palisades neighborhood is a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences and memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin’ USA.”
Flames jumped the famous Sunset Boulevard and burned parts of the Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie,” the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday” and the TV series “Teen Wolf.”
▶ Read more about the stars whose homes are threatened by the fires
Daybreak sheds light on the destruction
As the sun rose Wednesday the devastation was stunning with morning news crews showing home after home engulfed in flames, some collapsing live on camera.
Roads were strewn with power lines, some flickering with fire.
Voices from the flames
The sun is rising behind a wall of smoke in the Pacific Palisades that looks as black as night. Here’s what witnesses have been saying.
“We looked across and the fire had jumped from one side of the road to the other side of the road,” Kelsey Trainor said. “People were getting out of the cars with their dogs and babies and bags, they were crying and screaming.”
“As soon as I opened my door, it was like right there,” Sheriece Wallace said. “The first thing I did was look at the trees to see where the wind was blowing. Because it hit me. It blew me back.”
“It is crazy, it’s everywhere, in all the nooks and crannies of the Palisades. One home’s safe, the other one’s up in flames,” Will Adams said.
What should be in a ‘Go bag’?
Cal Fire says a “go bag” should include:
— A map with at least two evacuation routes
— Necessary prescriptions or medical items like eyeglasses
— Extra car keys, cash or credit cards
— A basic first-aid kit
— A flashlight and battery-powered radio with extra batteries
— Copies of important documents like passports or birth certificates.
It should also include a three-day supply of non-perishable food and water per person, as well as food and water for any pets. N95 masks can help filter out many of the particles in wildfire smoke, and an extra cellphone battery or charger can also be helpful.
“Plan like you’re going on a trip for seven days. Have clothes, toilet paper, toothbrush, soap, a towel in there,” said Jesse Torres, a battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said.
Safety tips on what to do before and when evacuating
1. Sign up for regional alerts. Many communities, including several in California, have warning alert systems that allow residents to sign up for push notifications to their mobile phones or email accounts.
2. Have an emergency action plan. Household emergency action plans help ensure that all members of a family know exactly what to do and where to go during a wildfire.
3. Pack a “Go Bag” or emergency supply kit.
4. Protect your home. If time allows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends connecting water hoses and filling garbage cans, tubs, pools and the like with water to help firefighters if they end up on your property.
5. Don’t wait for an evacuation order — just go.
Don’t wait for an evacuation order, experts say
Evacuating a wildfire area can be scary, but experts say people can significantly improve their own safety with a little preparation and common sense.
Creating a wildfire action plan, packing a “go bag” and maintaining basic situational awareness during evacuations can make a big difference when escaping a disaster, Jesse Torres, a battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said.
But the most important tip? Don’t wait around for an evacuation order, Torres said.
“The biggest thing is to get out early, before the notifications come out. It’s so important to avoid the congestion,” he said.
A city aglow
The morning sky is lightening, and soon the scope of the devastation will be more clear. Some hillsides are glowing from the scattered fires.
When does California’s wildfire season typically begin?
Generally, it starts in June or July and runs through October, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association.
However, January wildfires are not unprecedented — there was one in 2022 and 10 in 2021, according to CalFire.
Recent data shows the season is beginning earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall tied to climate change. That means rains that usually end fire season are often delayed and fires can burn through the winter months as a result, the association says.
Strong Santa Ana winds are driving the fires
The National Weather Service is receiving reports of winds up to 80 mph (129 kph) this morning. They could top 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills and include areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months.
Red flag warnings are highlighting extremely critical fire weather conditions. 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, too, “providing very little in terms of any relief.”
The scene on Wednesday morning
Sunrise is in a little over an hour.
Overnight, the images were stark: The skeleton of a Christmas tree was framed in a blazing window in the Pacific Palisades.
Opulent homes collapsed in a whirlwind of flaming embers.
The tops of palm trees whipped against the glowing red sky.
Vast clouds of smoke dwarfed the water dumped by helicopters attempting to calm the flames.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — California firefighters battled wind-whipped wildfires that tore across the Los Angeles area, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled and straining resources as the fires burned uncontained early Wednesday.
The flames from a fire that broke out Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast of LA spread so rapidly that staff at a senior living center had to push dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a parking lot. The residents — one as old as 102 — waited there in their bedclothes as the night sky glowed red from flames and embers fell around them until ambulances, buses and even construction vans arrived to take them to safety.
Another blaze that started hours earlier ripped through the city’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood, a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences and memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin' USA.” In the frantic haste to get to safety, roadways became impassable when scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases.
The traffic jam on Palisades Drive prevented emergency vehicles from getting through and a bulldozer was brought in to push the abandoned cars to the side and create a path. Video along the Pacific Coast Highway showed widespread destruction of homes and businesses along the famed roadway.
Pacific Palisades resident Kelsey Trainor said the only road in and out of her neighborhood was blocked. Ash fell all around them while fires burned on both sides of the road.
“We looked across and the fire had jumped from one side of the road to the other side of the road,” Trainor said. “People were getting out of the cars with their dogs and babies and bags, they were crying and screaming."
A third wildfire started around 10:30 p.m. and quickly prompted evacuations in Sylmar, a San Fernando Valley community that is the northernmost neighborhood in Los Angeles. The causes of all three fires were under investigation.
Flames were being pushed by Santa Ana winds topping 60 mph (97 kph) in some places Tuesday, increasing to 70 miles an hour (112 kph) by early Wednesday, according to reports received by the National Weather Service in Los Angeles. They could top 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills — including in areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months.
The situation prompted the Los Angeles Fire Department to take the rare step of putting out a plea for off-duty firefighters to help. It was too windy for firefighting aircraft to fly, further hampering the fight. A high wind warning was in effect for the region through 6 p.m., the weather service said.
“This will likely be the most destructive windstorm seen 2011 windstorm that did extensive damage to Pasadena and nearby foothills of the San Gabriel Valley,” the weather service said in a red flag warning early Wednesday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X early Wednesday that California had deployed more than 1,400 firefighting personnel to combat the blazes. “Emergency officials, firefighters, and first responders are all hands on deck through the night to do everything possible to protect lives,” Newsom said.
The erratic weather caused President Joe Biden to cancel plans to travel to inland Riverside County, where he was to announce the establishment of two new national monuments in the state. He remained in Los Angeles, where smoke was visible from his hotel, and was briefed on the wildfires. The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a grant to help reimburse California for the firefighting cost.
Officials didn't give an estimate of structures damaged or destroyed in the Pacific Palisades wildfire, but they said about 30,000 residents were under evacuation orders and more than 13,000 structures were under threat. Newsom visited the scene and said many homes had burned. He declared a state of emergency.
The fire burned down Temescal Canyon, a popular hiking area surrounded by dense neighborhoods of multimillion-dollar homes. Flames jumped famous Sunset Boulevard and burned parts of the Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie,” the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday” and the TV series “Teen Wolf.”
By evening the flames had spread into neighboring Malibu and several people there were being treated for burn injuries and a firefighter had a serious head injury and was taken to a hospital, according to Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott.
By early Wednesday, the Eaton fire, which started around 6:30 p.m. the day before, had quickly burned 1.6 square miles (4 square kilometers), according to fire officials. The Hurst fire jumped to 500 acres (202 hectares) and the Palisades fire, which started around around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday and sent up a dramatic plume of smoke visible across Los Angeles, had destroyed 4.5 square miles (11.6 square kilometers) according to Angeles National Forest. The fires were at 0% containment as of early Wednesday.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 200,000 people were without power in Los Angeles County, according to the tracking website PowerOutage.us, due to the strong winds.
Recent dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, where there’s been very little rain so far this season. Southern California hasn’t seen more than 0.1 inches (0.25 centimeters) of rain since early May.
The neighborhood, which borders Malibu about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of downtown LA, includes hillside streets of tightly packed homes along winding roads nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains and stretches down to beaches along the Pacific Ocean.
Long-time Palisades resident Will Adams said he immediately went to pick his two kids up from St. Matthews Parish School when he heard the fire was nearby. Meanwhile, he said embers flew into his wife's car as she tried to evacuate.
“She vacated her car and left it running,” Adams said. She and many other residents walked down toward the ocean until it was safe.
Adams said he had never witnessed anything like this in the 56 years he’s lived there. He watched as the sky turned brown and then black as homes started burning. He could hear loud popping and bangs “like small explosions,” which he said he believes were the transformers exploding.
“It is crazy, it’s everywhere, in all the nooks and crannies of the Palisades. One home’s safe, the other one’s up in flames,” Adams said.
Actor James Woods posted footage of flames burning through bushes and past palm trees on a hill near his home. The towering orange flames billowed among the landscaped yards between the homes.
“Standing in my driveway, getting ready to evacuate,” Woods said in the short video on X.
Some trees and vegetation on the grounds of the Getty Villa were burned by late Tuesday, but staff and the museum collection remain safe, Getty President Katherine Fleming said in a statement. The museum located on the eastern end of the Pacific Palisades is a separate campus of the world-famous Getty Museum that focuses on the art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome.
Film studios canceled two movie premieres due to the fire and windy weather, and the Los Angeles Unified School District said it temporarily relocated students from three campuses in the Pacific Palisades area.