Associated Press
LOS ANGELES 鈥� 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 Los Angeles.
Tens of thousands of people have been notified by authorities to evacuate their homes because of the multiple fires burning in the Los Angeles region. Officials say at least five people have died in the wildfires.
Here鈥檚 the latest:
Evacuations ordered due to new fire in the Hollywood Hills
Tens of thousands of people have been notified by authorities to evacuate their homes because of the multiple fires burning in the Los Angeles region.
The most recent mandatory evacuations orders came Wednesday evening related to the Sunset fire, a new fire in the Hollywood Hills. That order was in place for Laurel Canyon Boulevard on the west to Mulholland Drive, with others in nearby areas warned to be ready to leave.
Mandatory evacuation orders also remained in place near the Palisades fire west of Los Angeles. People have also been told to leave their homes in the San Fernando Valley near the Hurst fire. Others were told to leave their residences in parts of Santa Monica and Altadena because of the Eaton fire.
Biden has formally signed off on a federal disaster declaration
The White House says the declaration allows for federal funding to be made available to impacted individuals in Los Angeles County for temporary housing and home repairs as well as low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs aimed at helping individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance at , or by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or by using the FEMA App.
Multiple states sending firefighters
Firefighters from multiple states have arrived or are on the way to help with the fires, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a media briefing Wednesday afternoon.
He said 60 teams were coming from Oregon, 45 from Washington state, 15 from Utah, 10 from New Mexico and 鈥渘umerous鈥� teams were coming from Arizona.
Another fire has broken out in the Hollywood Hills, officials say
As officials were providing a media update about the fires around 5:50 p.m., Los Angeles city Fire Chief Kristin Crowley announced that a new blaze had broken out in the Hollywood Hills near Runyon Canyon.
She said all available resources were responding and excused herself to attend to that blaze.
Los Angeles County has lost several facilities to fire, officials say
Los Angeles County has lost several facilities to fire, including the Eaton Canyon nature center and a senior center, LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at a media briefing Wednesday afternoon.
She also said a sheriff鈥檚 station had been evacuated because of fire. It wasn鈥檛 clear if it had been damaged.
100,000 people have received notices to evacuate due to Eaton fire, officials say
Authorities gave an update Wednesday afternoon on the Eaton fire near Pasadena that exploded in high winds Tuesday, causing at least five deaths.
Here鈥檚 a few facts and figures they shared:
- The Eaton fire has consumed over 16.5 square miles (42.7 square kilometers) and is so far uncontained.
- Between 200 and 500 structures have been damaged or destroyed.
- About 100,000 people have received notices to evacuate.
- At least five school campuses in Altadena have suffered substantial fire damage.
- Embers carried by winds in the 70-mph range started dozens of fires Tuesday night, igniting block after block as they flew through the air.
- 750 firefighters are working to halt the blaze, with more on the way.
- More than 250 pets have been taken in by the Pasadena Humane Society in the past 24 hours.
Weather conditions conducive to fires to continue through Friday, forecasters say
The National Weather Service says gusty winds and very dry conditions would continue to fuel fires in the Los Angeles area.
Forecasters predicted wind gusts of 35-55 mph (56-88 kph), which could rise higher in the mountains and foothills. Meteorologists said Los Angeles and Ventura counties would have weather conducive to fire through Friday, meaning low relative humidity, strong winds, unstable air and drought.
But winds have dissipated enough for aircraft to assist in fighting the fires, Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustine said.
鈥淭onight we have very mild wind conditions where we can get aircraft and a ton of additional resources getting their hands around this fire,鈥� Augustin said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what gives me confidence that we鈥檙e going to get a handle on this fire.鈥�
The fire chief warned that it was still an active fire with risk of spread over the next day.
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.
鈥淏ut I鈥檒l be clear,鈥� he added, no matter how much water was available, 鈥渨e were not stopping that fire last night. Those erratic wind gusts were throwing embers for multiple miles ahead of the fire.鈥�
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鈥檚 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鈥檚 Department.
Officials had reported earlier that two people had died. Officials say they have no other details on the deaths.
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.
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.
鈥淲e have a number of hospitals threatened, and if they have to be evacuated, it could become a crisis,鈥� 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.
鈥淚 can stand up but I can鈥檛 walk,鈥� Fisher said. 鈥淚 think that the city of Pasadena did a marvelous job.鈥�
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.
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
鈥淲e both understand that fire does not recognize map lines, and we are ready to help each other whenever there is a need,鈥� Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said in a statement.
鈥淒uring 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,鈥� 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.
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
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to take time,鈥� 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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 impossible for me to express the level of appreciation,鈥� he said.
Kristin Crowley, the Los Angeles fire chief, said her team knew there was a 鈥渟ignificant threat鈥� from the Pacific Palisades fire as soon as it started because of the 鈥渉igh, high, high winds.鈥�
Crowley said she鈥檇 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 16.5 square miles (42.9 square kilometers), according to state fire personnel.
Federal data shows just six wildfires have burned more than 2 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 kilometers) 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 Cal Fire data.
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鈥檛 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 Qui帽ones.
It takes about 30 minutes to refill about 4,000 gallons (15,142 liters) of water.
County officials urge residents to conserve water for firefighters
Municipal water systems are not designed to fight wildfires, said Mark Pestrella, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why air support is so critical to the firefight. And unfortunately, wind and air visibility have prevented that support,鈥� Pestrella said. County and city reservoirs are ready to be used to fight fires from the air once it becomes safe to fly, he said.
Officials are urging residents across the region to conserve water so there鈥檚 enough for firefighters to use.
鈥淲e鈥檙e fighting a wildfire with urban water systems, and that is really challenging,鈥� chief engineer Janisse Qui帽ones said.
Air quality in the Los Angeles area is at a hazardous level
The air quality index for most of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Wednesday morning was well over 300, which is considered hazardous to the general public, according to AirNow.gov.
At that level, people are advised to stay indoors and reduce activity levels.
