Editor-DN
PASADENA, Calif. − Firefighters on Thursday continued to battle multiple deadly wildfires that erupted across Los Angeles, creating an apocalyptic scene as residents fled the raging infernos.
At least five fires were active in Los Angeles County, scorching more than 40 square miles across the region, according to Cal Fire. The Palisades Fire in the coastal Pacific Palisades community and the Eaton Fire, located east in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, remained the largest blazes with 0% containment.
Mayor Karen Bass, speaking at a press briefing Thursday, said “heroic” firefighters aided by air operations are making progress against the flames.
“Historic winds and extensive drought have created a perfect storm that has driven people from their homes, have taken people’s homes and have taken people’s lives,” Bass said. “This is absolutely an unprecedented historic firestorm, but we are all hands on deck.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said it was too early to provide a death toll. He said almost 180,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, and another 200,000 face evacuation warnings. And he said 20 people have been arrested for looting.
“Individuals who chose to go into areas and deprive these poor people who have been through so much,” Luna said. “Absolutely unacceptable. If you are in one of these areas where you do not belong, you are going to be arrested.”
Extreme Santa Ana winds have hindered firefighting operations and spread the fires that began breaking out earlier this week. Officials said the winds had eased somewhat Thursday, but the National Weather Service said critical fire weather could last through Friday.
There were some breakthroughs. Firefighters gained the upper hand on The Sunset Fire that forced mandatory evacuations in Hollywood and the Hollywood Hills − including iconic locations such as the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. All evacuations from that fire were rescinded, authorities said.
Los Angeles Fire chief Kristin Crowley said firefighters were in a “much better posture” to battle the wildfires Thursday. But she said preliminary reports estimated the number of damaged or destroyed structures to be “in the thousands.”
“It is safe to say the Palisades Fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles,” Crowley said.
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Fire updates:
∎ The Palisades Fire burning along the Pacific Coast had grown to 27 square miles Thursday, Cal Fire reported; 300 homes, businesses and other buildings were destroyed and more than 13,000 were threatened.
∎The Eaton Fire near Pasadena had grown to more than 16 square miles Thursday. The fire was 0% contained and its cause was under investigation, Cal Fire said.
∎ The Hurst Fire burned 671 acres, down from 855 earlier, and was 10% contained, Cal Fire said.
Latest wind forecast:Los Angeles experts warns of more fire danger from Santa Ana winds
See how many bad-air days your countyhad while wildfire smoke chokes LA
Wildfire is approaching Mount Wilson
The Los Angeles-area wildfires that continue to scorch much of Los Angeles County are fast approaching the summit of Mount Wilson, home to a number of communication towers crucial to Los Angeles-area residents and the historic Mount Wilson Observatory.
The 120-year-old astronomical observatory is located on a 5,710-foot peak on Mount Wilson in the San Gabriel Mountains and once contained the world’s largest telescope.
The flames from the Eaton Fire began Thursday morning and despite the lack of homes in the area immediately around the observatory and towers, surrounding heavy brush could charge the flames.
Thousands of structures have already been damaged or destroyed in the path of terror from the wildfires. Should the flames reach the communication towers, it could affect the ability to call, text, access the internet or television.
− Sam Woodward
What is containment? How is it measured?
Firefighters are still working to contain the largest of the wildfires setting Los Angeles County ablaze. The Palisades and Eaton fires are both still 0% contained on Thursday. But how is “containment” measured?
Containment is the percentage of the fire’s total perimeter that has been surrounded by a boundary expected to stop it from spreading, according to CalFire. The boundary can be natural, such as a strip of land where vegetation has been removed or a river. Or it could be created by firefighters such as hose lines from firetrucks.
When a percentage of the perimeter is contained, the fire is still burning, and there is still potential for it to jump the boundary, CalFire said.
A fire is “controlled” when there is no more threat of it jumping a containment line.
Can firefighters use ocean water amid water shortage?
A lack of water is impeding firefighters’ efforts to fight the flames. The department’s three water tanks, which hold about a million gallons each, ran out Wednesday morning, Janisse Quiñones, chief engineer for the Los Angeles Fire Department of Water and Power, told reporters at a press conference that day.
“We’ve depleted all our resources,” California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom told CNN’s Anderson Cooper Wednesday as fire hydrants across the region ran dry. “Those hydrants are typical for two or three fires, maybe one fire. And then you have something at this scale.”
Some firefighters were seen scooping water from the Pacific Ocean in a firefighting plane, according to KTLA 5 News, but it’s not that easy.
Ocean water, unless it goes through a desalination process, can be environmentally damaging and cause corrosion to firefighting equipment. Read more.
-Sam Woodward
How many people have died in the LA fires?
Authorities previously had reported at least five confirmed deaths. Luna said Thursday it was too early to provide any true death toll but that he expected the total to rise.
One of the fatalities from the Eaton Fire near Pasadena was identified Wednesday when his family found his body on the side of the road by their home – with a garden hose still in his hand, KTLA-TV reported. His sister told the station she had fled, but her brother was determined to try and save the home that had been in the family for more than 50 years.
Santa Ana winds fuel fires
One of the nation’s most notorious wind events has helped fuel the destructive wildfires. The Santa Ana winds, which occur most often in the fall and winter, push dry air from over the inland deserts of California and the Southwest toward the coast, the National Weather Service said. As high-pressure systems move east to west over the Santa Ana Mountain range, wind is forced down where it’s compressed and warms up.
An area of high pressure over the Great Basin, the high plateau east of the Sierra Nevada, combined with a storm in northwestern Mexico to create the conditions for strong winds over Southern California starting on Tuesday, AccuWeather meteorologist Gwen Fieweger said. Read more here.
− N’dea Yancey-Bragg
Destruction in California:What caused the LA fires to spread so rapidly?
Fire departments across the state heed call
Newsom said numerous strike teams from fire departments across the state, including those from San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland, Stockton, Alameda, Marin and Amador counties will be part of the effort to help fight the fires in Southern California.
“California has deployed 1,400+ firefighting personnel & hundreds of prepositioned assets to combat these unprecedented fires in LA,” Newsom said in a post on X. “Emergency officials, firefighters, and first responders are all hands on deck through the night to do everything possible to protect lives.”
− Terry Collins
Power out for hundreds of thousands
The Southern California Edison utility announced Wednesday that more than 413,000 customers were without power. The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power said over 135,000 customers were without power late Wednesday.
Pasadena Water and Power issued a Do-Not-Drink Water order for Pasadena and evacuated areas of the Eaton Fire, noting that the water system may have been impacted by “debris and elevated turbidity.” The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power also advised people in the Pacific Palisades, north of San Vicente Boulevard, to only use bottled or boiled water for drinking and cooking.
The Los Angeles Unified School District announced all of its campuses will be closed Thursday. According to federal data, it is the second-largest school district in the nation with nearly 436,000 students enrolled in 2021.
Pentagon aiding firefighting effort
The Pentagon, at Biden’s direction, is rushing firefighting equipment and personnel to battle the wildfires in California, including aircraft to help suppress the blazes. The California National guard is providing two Modular Airborne Firefighting System units, Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon’s deputy press secretary, told reporters. The Nevada National Guard is providing two additional systems. The units can be installed in C-130 airplanes, converting the workhorse cargo plane into an airtanker.
The Navy is also deploying 10 helicopters with buckets to drop water on the fires.
“Many U.S. military installations in the area have personnel and equipment that can also be surged to fight this awful blaze,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in Germany at a meeting of allies supporting Ukraine.
On the ground, the California National Guard has activated two ground firefighting teams and four military police companies to assist local law enforcement and emergency response, Maj. Jennifer Staton, a Pentagon spokesperson, said in a statement.
− Tom Vanden Brook
Celebrities ‘heartbroken’ over burning homes
The blazes have destroyed at least 1,000 homes, businesses, and other structures, according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone. Film star Billy Crystal said the Pacific Palisades home where he and his wife, Janice, lived since 1979 had been destroyed: “We are heartbroken of course, but with the love of children and friends we will get through this.”
Media personality Paris Hilton said she was “heartbroken beyond words” after watching her beachfront house in Malibu “burn to the ground on live TV.”
Some residents returned to areas the fire had swept through, leaving brick chimneys looming over charred rubble and burnt-out vehicles. Oliver Allnatt, 36, wore ski goggles and a filtering face mask as he took pictures of the ruins.
“I had just come from my family home where my mother lives that was burned to a crisp,” Allnatt said. “And then I came up to my home and same thing. It’s completely dust. … I mean, it’s something out of a movie.”
Escaping the LA fires: Heart-pounding stories of fleeing families
Abandoning homes is painful for residents who have no choice. Karen Maezen Miller, who’s been tending a 109-year-old Japanese garden in Sierra Madre for almost three decades, fled with her husband as flames danced in the rearview mirror. Miller, a Zen Buddhist priest and teacher, did not know the fate of her home. As they drove, they realized the power of the windstorm that had shaken the area for hours with 100 mph gusts, tossing debris everywhere.
“I didn’t even want to look because it moved so fast. I just wanted my husband to drive, drive, drive,” said Miller. “You’re trying to flee a fire but you couldn’t drive on the road.” Read more here.
− Trevor Hughes, N’dea Yancey-Bragg, Elizabeth Weise, Terry Collins
Evacuation orders lifted:Hollywood Hills fire endangered iconic Los Angeles landmarks
Firefighters gain ground with Sunset Fire
Fire activity has decreased and evacuation orders were lifted for the Sunset Fire, a brush fire that erupted Wednesday night in the iconic Hollywood Hills. The fire had been growing quickly, adding strain to firefighting efforts in Southern California.
The Los Angeles Fire Department issued an evacuation order shortly after 6 p.m. local time Wednesday for portions of the celebrity-populated neighborhood in central Los Angeles. As of 9:45 p.m. local time, the blaze consumed at least 60 acres and was 0% contained, according to Cal Fire.
“Fire activity has DECREASED,” The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s West Hollywood Station said on X early Thursday. “The fire has been updated to be 60 to 100 acres but is now mostly burning within the perimeter LAFD worked quickly to develop.”
Officials said Thursday the last evacuation orders had been lifted. Read more here.
− Josh Peter
Escaping the LA fires:Heart-pounding stories of fleeing the flames
Los Angeles area wildfires may cost billions
The devastating fires have torched hundreds of homes, businesses and other structures across the county and an early estimate has put the potential damage at nearly $10 billion.
Even before the additional homes and apartments were destroyed, the largest of the wildfires − the Palisades Fire − was quickly pushing its way upward on the list of most destructive fires in the state’s history with at least 1,000 destroyed structures.
The acreage burned still paled in comparison to the hundreds of thousands of acres burned in the largest wildfires in the state’s history, but that fact was offset by the real estate prices in the areas burning in Southern California, said Char Miller, professor of environmental analysis and history at Pomona College in Claremont, California, and author of Burn Scars, a history of fire suppression in the U.S. published last September.
An independent research team at the financial services company J.P. Morgan said it expected the insured losses from the Palisades fire to approach $10 billion, and most of the economic losses would be in homeowners insurance.
− Dinah Voyles Pulver
Nurse rushes to aid evacuees: ‘Sometimes we need a helping hand’
Christianna Gutierrez heard an open call for help at an evacuation center and responded. The registered nurse was scrolling on TikTok on Wednesday when her algorithm kicked out a video from someone at the Pasadena Convention Center, saying medical professionals were needed.
“Within five minutes, I put my scrubs on and drove the opposite direction, into the storm, and here I am,” said Gutierrez, a West Hills resident who’s been a nurse for about three years and currently works at a private school.
She didn’t know what to expect but said she was eager to help evacuees.
“You learn about disaster nursing in school, but this is the first time that I’ve ever actually wanted to do something,” Gutierrez said. “So I said, ‘Why not help?'”
When she wasn’t assisting folks at the nurses’ station, she helped set up beds and other supplies in preparation for nearby residents fleeing their homes. Asthma and other respiratory problems, eye irritations, wound care and pain management were among the common medical issues Gutierrez and other volunteers said they treated while partially relying on donations for supplies.
− Michelle Martinelli
How to help communities impacted by wildfires
As several fast-growing wildfires continued to threaten communities, some organizations are taking donations to help victims of the fires.
- The crowdfunding platform GoFundMe published a page of verified fundraisers to support those affected by the fires.
- GlobalGiving’s California Wildfire Relief Fund is taking donations that the organization says will go directly toward supporting wildfire relief and recovery efforts in the state.
- The California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund aims to offer relief to marginalized communities hardest hit by the devastating fires.
- The California Fire Foundation provides aid to firefighters battling the blazes, as well as their loved ones and the communities they support.
− Anthony Robledo
Los Angeles fires unchecked amid scarce water supply
One after another, the million-gallon tanks firefighters tapped into to douse the deadly Los Angeles wildfires went dry, leaving them without enough water to fight the flames, officials said Wednesday. The admission comes as residents have wondered how the wildfires − whose causes are still under investigation − got so out of hand and turned into one of the most devastating Los Angeles fires in recent memory.
“We had a tremendous demand on our system… we pushed the system to the extreme,” Janisse Quiñones, CEO of the LA Department of Water and Power, said at a news conference Wednesday. “If there’s a message to take away from me today, it’s I need our customers to really conserve water.”
Water shortages hit Pacific Palisades the hardest, Quiñones said, a neighborhood west of downtown Los Angeles that stands at a higher elevation. Demand for water in the area rose to four times its usual amount for 15 hours straight, said Quiñones, who is also the agency’s chief engineer.
Authorities attempted to refill the tanks but couldn’t refill them fast enough to restore enough pressure to the system to move the water to higher elevations, she added. Read more here.
− Michael Loria
Contributing: Reuters
