Death toll climbs to 24 and thousands of structures destroyed in California wildfires
 |
A car drives past homes and vehicles destroyed by the Palisades Fire at the Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Estates on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) |
At least 24 deaths are being reported and more than 12,000 structures burned as firefighters in California battle several wildfires tearing across the Los Angeles area, sending tens of thousands of residents running for their lives as wind-whipped flames destroy homes and businesses.
All 24 fatalities occurred in the Los Angeles area, according to a Sunday afternoon update from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, with eight from the Palisades Fire along the coast and 16 from the Eaton Fire farther inland. The death toll is expected to rise as teams with cadaver dogs search destroyed neighborhoods. A center where people can report the missing has been established by authorities.
Additionally, there have been a "high number of significant injuries to residents who did not evacuate in addition to first responders who are on the fire line," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said. Officials warn the true death toll won't be clear until investigators can safely get into all neighborhoods.
On Sunday morning, Cal Fire reported the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hurst fires had consumed about 62 square miles (160 square kilometers), an area larger than San Francisco. The Palisades and Eaton fires accounted for 59 square miles (nearly 153 square kilometers).
Entire neighborhoods have been wiped from the map, with more than 5,300 homes and other buildings destroyed by the coastal Palisades Fire, which is now the most destructive ever to hit the county. The Eaton fire in Altadena and Pasadena has damaged or destroyed at least 7,000 homes and other buildings.
 |
At least 150,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders Saturday night, with more than 700 people staying in nine shelters, Michael Traum of the California Office of Emergency Services said in an online briefing.
Traum added that crews from nine other states are helping California firefighters battle ferocious flames. This adds up to 14,000 personnel, including newly arrived firefighters from Mexico who are using 1,354 fire engines and 84 aircraft.
After looters were reported in areas hit by wildfires, a curfew was put in place across areas of Los Angeles County that are under evacuation. The curfew, in effect nightly from 6 p.m to 6 a.m., will last until county officials lift the order. It bars everyone but emergency responders from public places.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a request for National Guard assistance from Los Angeles County, warning, "To those who would seek to take advantage of evacuated communities, let me be clear: looting will not be tolerated."
Anyone caught violating the curfew could face fines of up to $1,000 or a prison sentence of up to six months. At least 20 people have been arrested in the county for looting during the wildfires, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at a news conference Thursday.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna has cautioned residents against returning to their destroyed homes to search for keepsakes amidst the rubble.
"We have people driving up and around trying to get in just to look. Stay away," Luna urged, emphasizing the importance of adhering to curfews.
Officials also warned on Saturday that the ash could contain harmful materials such as lead, arsenic, and asbestos.
"If you're kicking that stuff up, you're breathing it in," said Chris Thomas, a spokesman for the unified incident command at the Palisades Fire.
Weather conditions are still critical. High wind watches remain in effect for L.A. County and much of Ventura County through Sunday and another round of strong winds is expected starting Monday.
Here is where the largest wildfires stand, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection:
Palisades Fire: At least 23,713 acres and 13% contained.
Eaton Fire: At least 14,117 acres and 27% contained.
Hurst Fire: At least 799 acres and 89% contained.
The largest fire, the Palisades Fire, ignited Tuesday and is burning Los Angeles' Pacific Palisades neighborhood. It is the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history.
Wow! Palisades in LA is COMPLETELY GONE.. This is horrible. pic.twitter.com/32EDAd6bue
— aka (@akafacehots) January 9, 2025
The Pacific Palisades has been completely evacuated and is now a "ghost town," CNN's Leigh Waldman said. "Everyone keeps saying ‘apocalyptic,' but that doesn't begin to cover it."
Pacific Palisades resident Kelsey Trainor told the AP that as she tried to evacuate, the only road out of her Pacific Palisades neighborhood was blocked.
"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."
Pacific Palisades resident Francois Auroux told CNN he fled his home on a bicycle after receiving evacuation orders from the fire department. Auroux said that the winds were the strongest gusts he had ever seen in the city for January.
Flames quickly spread into neighboring Malibu where several burn injuries have been reported. Pacific Palisades is located about 10 miles from Malibu, where the Franklin Fire had burned more than 4,000 acres, including several homes, after erupting during similar windy conditions in December. Video and photos show widespread destruction of homes and businesses along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Brent Pascua, a battalion chief for CAL FIRE, or the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said the fires are moving incredibly fast.
"It doesn't give you time to think of what to pack. It doesn't give you time to think of how you're going to get out. Make sure you have those two things planned before an event like this happens."
Highest reported wind gusts in Southern California (all times PST):
100-mph gust reported at Mt. Lukens Truck Trail at 5:00 a.m., Jan. 8
98-mph gust at Saddle Peak at 9:37 p.m., Jan. 7
90-mph gust at Magic Mountain Truck Trail at 2:30 a.m., Jan. 8
86-mph gust at Browns Canyon at 5:30 a.m., Jan 8
84-mph gust at Hollywood Burbank Airport at 8:30 p.m., Jan. 7
Wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph have the ability to carry embers miles away from the wildfires, which can potentially spark new ones, putting lives and property at significant risk.
The second largest, the deadly Eaton Fire, has ripped across over 14,000 acres, and has destroyed thousands of structures. The fire initially broke out near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast of LA and spread so quickly 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 AP reported. Nearly all of Altadena has been evacuated.
The causes of all the fires are under investigation. All schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second largest school district, were closed Thursday and Friday due to hazardous air quality, said Alberto Carvalho, chief of the public school group. Los Angeles Unified School District officials will provide two free meals to the community as schools remain shut. Eighty percent of the district's students depend on free breakfast and lunch to survive, Carvalho told CNN.
Around 60,000 customers were without power as of Sunday midday, according to PowerOutage.us. Power shutoffs are possible as Southern California's energy providers try to prevent damaged infrastructure from starting blazes. More than 400,000 of Southern California Edison's 5 million customers may have their power shut off in the coming days via scheduled outages, according to the utility's website.
Although the past two winters of epic rain and snow helped pull California out of drought, the pendulum has swung back with drought in much of Southern California climbing to moderate in December, including most of Los Angeles County, which had been drought-free since March 2023. Vegetation is drier than normal across the region and more prone to fire starts and spread.
Even though winds have subsided compared to the peak of the Santa Ana wind event this past Tuesday and early this past Wednesday, more strong winds are on the way.
Any time there is higher pressure over land versus the nearby Pacific Ocean, dry winds can kick up, race down mountainsides and squeeze through canyons. While there will be periods where winds drop off, there will be more bouts of problematic winds through the early week.
Beginning on Monday, intense winds are forecast to increase again across coastal areas of Southern California.
Unfortunately, any smoke being output by smoldering fires, when combined with light winds, can lead to pollutants being trapped rather than dispersed, creating unhealthy air quality concerns.
