As the firefight continues, the names of people who lost their lives in the blaze are being released. One of the most recent people identified is 84-year-old Zhi-feng Zhao, an Altadena resident who immigrated from China in 1989. His remains were found by his son Shaw Zhao, who flew from Portland, Oregon, to Los Angeles to see his father--who he describes as “smart and talented"-- and was worried to see the neighborhood was in an evacuation zone. Zhao said he had trouble getting to his father’s house and had to walk an hour on foot.
His son Shaw Zhao told reporters that he bought the Altadena home in 2003. His mother, a local Chinese schoolteacher, died from cancer in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He just loved the peace, the fresh air above Altadena,” Zhao said of his father, noting that he was an avid hiker, active and strong until his wife passed away. He’d since required the help of a caregiver, who was out of town when the fires started.
Closing summary
Thanks for joining our live coverage of the Los Angeles wildfires so far today. It’s 6.30pm in California and this blog is closing. These are the top headlines we followed this afternoon and evening:
There are five wildfires currently raging in Los Angeles county. They include:
The Palisades fire, at 23,713 acres and 19% containment.
The Eaton fire, at 14,117 acres and 45% containment.
The Hurst fire, at 799 acres and 97% containment.
The Little Mountain fire, at 34 acres and 0% containment.
The Auto fire, at 61 acres and 85% containment.
Forecasters expect a “much-needed break” but say next week is a “concern”. The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said the dry winds fueling wildfires had eased on Wednesday and were forecast to change direction on Thursday afternoon.
More than 120,000 customers remained without power in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. On Wednesday afternoon, nearly 100,000 of those were customers of Southern California Edison energy company in Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernadino and Riverside counties.
Nearly 30 people were still missing, Los Angeles county sheriff Robert Luna said. Deputies have searched more than 5,500 properties for victims from the Eaton Fire and hoped to finish in that area by Thursday, he said. The fires have killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
A particularly dangerous situation red flag warning expired on Wednesday afternoon, the NWS in Los Angeles said. Still, dry conditions and locally gusty winds will linger into Thursday – especially in some mountain areas.
Officials formed a taskforce to combat crimes related to the Los Angeles wildfires. The taskforce is composed of federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and local prosecutors, and will focus on arson, looting, fraud, illegal drone activity and related offenses, according to the United States attorney for the central district of California.
California governor Gavin Newsom announced that he signed an executive order to allow cleanup crews from the US Environmental Protection Agency offices to move into neighborhoods devastated by the Los Angeles fires.
The Grammy awards will not be canceled or postponed as wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles. The ceremony will instead refocus the show on fire relief efforts.
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Santa Monica officials said the voluntary evacuation warning in the areas north of San Vicente Boulevard remains in place and a curfew remains in effect from 6 pm to 6 am in all evacuation zones.
The Santa Monica Police Department has made over 40 arrests in evacuation zones for crimes related to burglary, drug possession, and outstanding warrants.
The Grammy awards will not be canceled or postponed as wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles. The ceremony will instead refocus the show on fire relief efforts.
The Recording Academy will be “raising additional funds to support wildfire relief efforts and honoring the bravery and dedication of first responders who risk their lives to protect ours,” reads a statement from the academy.
“We understand how devastating this past week has been on this city and its people,” said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.
“This is our home, it’s home to thousands of music professionals, and many of us have been negatively impacted. So after thoughtful consideration, and multiple assurances from state and local elected leaders, public safety agencies, and with support from our incredible artist community, we have decided to go ahead with the Grammy telecast and some select events.”
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More than 120,000 still without power in Los Angeles
More than 120,000 customers remained without power in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
On Wednesday afternoon, nearly 100,000 of those were customers of Southern California Edison energy company in Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernadino and Riverside counties.
“Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by the extreme weather event,” the utility said on its website.
The company on Wednesday afternoon said on social media it had completed 100% of the damage assessments for non-fire areas where it was safe to do so. After the assessments, repairs are prioritized based on conditions, and the time needed will vary depending on the extent of the repair work required, the post said.
“Due to unsafe conditions, restoration may take longer than usual,” the company said.
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Forecasters expect 'much-needed break' but say next week is 'concern'
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles has posted a good news/bad news forecast for the next week in the Los Angeles area.
“Good news: we are expecting a much-needed break from the fire weather concerns to close this week,” the weather service posted on social media Wednesday afternoon.
“Bad news: next week is a concern. While confident that we will NOT see a repeat of last week, dangerous fire weather conditions are expected,” the post said.
The highest chance of a red flag warning being issued because of Santa Ana winds will come on Monday and Tuesday, the weather service said.
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State Farm, the insurance giant, said that it will offer renewals to residential policyholders affected by the California fires that it had previously planned to drop, the LA Times reports.
The decision applies to policies held by homeowners, owners of rental dwellings, and residential community associations, which include condominium associations.
About 1,600 policies in Pacific Palisades were dropped by State Farm in July, a spokesperson for the California department of insurance told CBS.
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San Bernardino county officials reported that a new fire ignited within the past hour, but firefighters successfully contained it to 34 acres.
The San Bernardino county fire department confirmed there was no damage to structures and no reported injuries. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
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Particularly dangerous situation red flag warning expires
The warning expired on Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service in Los Angeles said. Still, dry conditions and locally gusty winds will linger into Thursday – especially in some mountain areas.
Winds peaked before 3pm on Wednesday and will continue to lessen into the evening. Red flag warnings remain in effect due to locally strong north-east to east winds and low relative humidity in much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and parts of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties until 6pm on Wednesday.
In the Santa Susana mountains, Western San Gabriel mountains and the Interstate 5 corridor, red flag warnings remain in effect through 3pm on Thursday, the weather service said.
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Some of the firefighters who are battling the blazes in Los Angeles are returning to their base camps “bruised and battered”, Anthony Marrone, the LA county fire chief, told reporters during a Wednesday afternoon press conference.
Marrone’s statement was in response to a reporter’s question about the physical state of the more than 5,000 people working to contain and extinguish the Palisades and Eaton fires.
While the chief emphasized the steadfastness of the crew, he also said “a lot of them are hurting inside”.
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Here are some pictures as the wildfires continue to burn around Los Angeles and search-and-rescue teams continue their work:
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My colleague Dani Anguiano brings us this dispatch from her visit to an Altadena neighborhood on Wednesday morning:
In Altadena, residents are still coming to terms with the death and destruction left in the wake of the Eaton fire. Large swaths of the community remain cordoned off, and law enforcement and national guard crews are stationed at the entrances of blocked-off streets.
On Wednesday morning, displaced residents collected clothes and shoes at a donation center set up by Jose Velazquez and his family in front of their still-standing home on Woodbury Road. The street was quiet, save for the sound of demolition workers scraping up debris and vegetation, as people quietly sorted through the dozens of shoes, sneakers and tiny baby sandals.
“People are all so grateful. Some people break down here, and start crying,” Velazquez said.
When the fire broke out, Velazquez and relatives watered their roof and lawn for hours as well as the homes of their neighbors. But the 30-year-old watched as a massive burning palm tree spewed large embers directly onto the homes on his street. Soon they started going up one after another, reducing the houses to rubble and leaving cars charred metal husks.
Velazquez was shocked that his home survived.
He and his family have spent the last few days giving donations, provided by people and community organizations across the region, to their neighbors.
For the last five years, they’ve run a churro business in their front yard and they have deep ties in Altadena. The community has always supported them, Velazquez said, and the family wanted to do the same for them.
“From the moment we started our business to the very end, you know, like they’ve been here. It’s a very close community.”
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California governor Gavin Newsom has announced that he has signed an executive order to allow cleanup crews from the US Environmental Protection Agency offices to move into neighborhoods devastated by the Los Angeles fires.
“We appreciate the Biden administration’s support and the fast-acting teams executing this first phase of recovery,” Newsom said in a post on X.
Teams from the EPA and Fema, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will soon begin removing explosive and highly toxic materials. Fema has allocated $100m to the EPA to begin this work.
Debris removal teams will clean up household hazardous waste, including pesticides, propane tanks, and batteries in conventional and electric vehicles.
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Clothes, toiletries – and a free stylist: the LA teen creating a space for peers amid the fires
Cars lined up outside an art studio in eastern Los Angeles on Sunday morning, packed with boxes of feminine care products, pimple patches, skincare, clothes, underwear, makeup and more. Some volunteers had driven for hours to support a unique mutual aid effort.
As fires in Los Angeles continue to rage, people across the city are springing into action to meet the needs of the thousands of families who have been displaced. Among the dozens of clothing donation and bottled water distribution sites, Altadena Girls – a new organization started by 14-year-old Avery Colvert – has struck a chord with its focus on teen girls’ recovery.
“I was thinking about, if I lost everything in my own bedroom, how would I feel?” Colvert said. “My clothes and my makeup and my shoes, and everything I have, that’s my identity and that’s my sense of self and that’s how so many other teenagers feel, and they don’t have any of that.”
As volunteers sorted through dozens of donations on Sunday, they organized items into sections for makeup, skincare, bras and underwear, clothing, haircare and jewelry throughout the makeshift boutique, ordering everything by size beside a full-length mirror. The group had also brought in stylists to help girls select outfits and match their makeup shades and select clothes.
“I want a place where people can shop and get all these items for free and it’s all brand-new clothes, shoes, makeup, hair products,” Colvert said. “I want these girls to feel confident in themselves again and to feel normalcy in a time where nothing else is normal for them.”
Read the full story by Amber X. Chen:
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Firefighters make progress in containing Los Angeles wildfires
Firefighters have reported significant gains in containing two massive wildfires burning around Los Angeles.
Firefighters are also tackling smaller blazes set by arsonists in recent days.
This came as the last wave of windy, fire-prone weather moved through southern California.
With winds picking up again, much of the nation’s second-most populous metropolitan region was still on alert for new outbreaks and flareups.
In the mountains, gusts reached up to 50mph, but many areas saw relatively light winds late in the morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Better conditions expected in the coming days should help fire crews make even more headway and allow residents to return to their neighborhoods to begin rebuilding.
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‘Criminally reckless’: why LA’s urban sprawl made wildfires inevitable – and how it should rebuild
“Crime don’t climb” is one of the glib mottoes long used by Los Angeles real estate agents to help sell the multimillion-dollar homes in the hills that surround the sprawling metropolis. Residents of the lush ridges and winding canyons can rest assured, in their elevated green perches – safely removed from the smog-laden, supposedly crime-ridden flatlands beneath. What the realtors neglect to mention, however, is that, while crime rarely ascends the hills, flames certainly do. And that the very things that make this sun-soaked city’s dream homes so attractive – lush landscaping, quaint timber construction, raised terrain and narrow, twisting lanes – are the very things that make them burn so well. They create blazing infernos that, as we have seen over the past week, are tragically difficult to extinguish.
LA’s ferocious wildfires have seen an area about three times the size of Manhattan incinerated. At least 12,000 homes have burned to the ground and 150,000 people have been evacuated, as entire neighbourhoods become smouldering ruins. Twenty-five people have died, 24 more are missing. Estimates suggest the cost of damage and economic losses could reach $250bn, making it the costliest wildfire in US history – mainly due to the flames torching some of the highest-value real estate in the country. And it’s not over yet. The city is bracing for further destruction, as weather forecasts suggest winds might pick up again.
Media coverage has had the air of a Hollywood disaster movie, as helicopters swoop through dark red skies while the list of charred celebrity homes grows, and the palm fronds are left blackened. Mel Gibson lost his $14.5m Malibu mansion while recording a Joe Rogan podcast. Anthony Hopkins’ colonial pile in Pacific Palisades was reduced to a scorched brick chimney. Bella Hadid posted about the loss of her 11-bathroom childhood home, in the inauspiciously named Carbon Canyon. There were Ballardian scenes of bulldozers sweeping abandoned Porsches off the streets, while imprisoned firefighters – temporarily released from jail to battle the blazes for around $10 a day – risked their lives to prevent the inferno from consuming further luxury properties.
Celebrity mansions have made most of the headlines, but fire doesn’t discriminate. Most of the 200 mobile homes of the Palisades Bowl trailer park went up in flames too. Across town, the Eaton fire ripped through the mixed-income community of Altadena, ravaging more than 14,000 acres of homes, schools, churches and businesses. It has been a shocking, saddening spectacle – but also one that was entirely predictable. Blame has been variously hurled at water mismanagement and fire department budget cuts, but little could have been done to stop these blazes. After a century of misguided urban development and flagrant disregard for climate change, it was only a question of when they would ignite.
Here’s the full analysis by the Guardian’s architecture critic, Oliver Wainwright:
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Here’s the latest on the fires’ containment:
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Eaton fire was 45% contained. Firefighters continue to reinforce containment lines around the blaze, which is expected to remain within its 14,117-acre boundary. A red flag warning will remain in effect through 6pm.
The Palisades fire was 19% contained and has so far burned 23,713 acres.
The Auto fire was 50% contained and forward progress remains stopped at 61 acres, while the Hurst fire was 97% contained.
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Officials form taskforce to combat crimes related to LA wildfires
The taskforce is composed of federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and local prosecutors, and will focus on arson, looting, fraud, illegal drone activity and related offenses, according to the United States attorney for the central district of California.
The United States attorney Martin Estrada said:
We will not permit victims to be re-victimized. Our community has suffered tremendously, and we are here to support them. The Joint Fire Crimes Task Force is committed to addressing crimes coming out of the fires, including any looting, arson, illegal drone flights and fraud. As the rebuilding process begins and donations and relief funds come in, we must ensure that those seeking to take advantage through criminal activity are held fully accountable.
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Nearly 200 artworks by Hunter Biden have been destroyed in the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles, according to the New York Post.
The pieces were stored near the Pacific Palisades home of Hunter Biden’s attorney, Kevin Morris, who also financed a documentary on him and loaned him nearly $5m for a tax bill.
Morris’s five-bedroom, six-bathroom home remains one of the few intact properties in the affluent neighborhood. Last week, as the fires spread, Joe Biden mentioned that his son’s nearby Malibu residence appeared to have survived but added: “They’re not sure.”
Hunter Biden is a self-taught artist who turned to painting during his recovery from drug addiction.
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Donald Trump’s nominee for energy secretary, Chris Wright, is facing criticism for disputing the ties between climate change and more frequent or severe wildfires, the Washington Post reports. It’s worth noting that this stance is contrary to scientific consensus.
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Democrats, including the California senator Alex Padilla, challenged Wright over past comments, pointing to a LinkedIn post calling wildfire concerns “hype” and dismissing their connection to climate policies.
Padilla accused Wright of downplaying the real and deadly effects of wildfires.
Despite Democratic opposition, Senate Republicans, who hold a 53-47 majority, favored Wright’s nomination. Wright pledged to advocate for expanded fossil fuel production during the hearing.
Scientific studies, however, contradict Wright’s claims. Climate change has, in fact, contributed to the increased frequency and severity of wildfires, including those in Los Angeles.
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Summary: key updates on the fires on Wednesday
As Los Angeles anxiously watches how several fires develop amid expected hurricane-force winds in the state, here is a roundup of the latest updates from officials:
Critical fire weather conditions will continue through Wednesday evening. Gusts were hitting up to 35mph on the coast and valleys and 55mph in the mountains before dawn, the National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hall said.
The Los Angeles police department chief, Jim McDonnell, said of 38 people initially reported missing, 27 have been found safe. Of the 11 remaining, two have most likely died but have yet to be positively identified.
LA’s county district attorney condemned people who have price-gouged on housing, saying some people had increased rents by 100 to 300%. Nathan Hochman said anyone caught price gouging will be prosecuted, adding: “Your name will get out there. Your company’s name will get out there. You will be publicly shamed.”
The Joint Regional Fire Crimes Task Force is investigating looting, burglary, robbery, grand theft, impersonation of firefighters or law enforcement, curfew violations, and related crimes stemming from the Palisades fire, the Eaton fire, and other wildfires. To date more than 50 people have been arrested, and nine defendants have been charged and face maximum sentences ranging from six years to life in prison.
Eighty-two thousand people remain under evacuation warnings. The curfew is still in effect from 6am to 6pm.
Two people have been arrested for arson, officials said, but not in connection to the Palisades or Eaton fires.
More than 53,000 people have registered for Fema’s individual assistance program, according to the regional Fema administrator Robert Fenton Jr. Twelve million dollars have already been distributed.
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Californians advised to prioritize safety as extreme winds loom
Extreme winds threatened to feed the fires tearing through Los Angeles and surrounding areas, even as firefighters battled to contain the blazes that have killed at least 25 people and scorched more than 40,000 acres.
The National Weather Service issued the most extreme level of a red flag fire warning of a “particularly dangerous situation” in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
“The danger has not yet passed,” said the Los Angeles fire department chief, Kristin Crowley, during a Wednesday news conference. “So please prioritize your safety.”
The deadly Palisades fire in the western suburbs of Los Angeles – the largest of the four wildfires – was still only 19% contained on Wednesday morning, more than a week after it ignited, and has destroyed thousands of properties and killed residents. But the Eaton fire, the next largest fire, in the Altadena area in north-eastern LA county, is now 45% contained – up 10% from Tuesday – with 14,100 acres burned. Officials said the Eaton fire is expected to stay within its existing footprint.
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Climate activists disrupted the confirmation hearing for Donald Trump’s pick to head the energy department, the oil executive Chris Wright.
The protesters, convened by the youth-led non-profit the Sunrise Movement, chanted about the ongoing deadly fires in Los Angeles amid widespread evidence that fossil fuels exacerbate the climate crisis. “Big oil profits, LA burns,” one banner read.
One activist said senators were not asking Wright hard-hitting questions about global warming. He was quickly removed from the room.
An 18-year-old protester also shouted over Wright as he was speaking. “I want a future,” she said.
Other climate groups are also speaking out against Wright’s confirmation.
“Chris Wright has been an evangelist for drilling more and exporting more US-produced fossil fuels overseas,” said David Arkush, climate director at the non-profit Public Citizen.
“His confirmation will put Big Oil profits ahead of protecting American families.”
Environmentalists are additionally protesting other Trump picks, including the North Dakota governor, Doug Burgum, who was nominated for secretary of the interior and the former New York congressman Lee Zeldin.
“These men will choose items off the fossil fuel industry’s wishlist over the good of the American people every time,” said Allie Rosenbluth, a manager at the advocacy group Oil Change International.
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The California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara has expanded a one-year moratorium on insurance cancellations and non-renewals to include all the zip codes within the area burned by the massive Palisades and Eaton wildfires as well as four smaller fires.
The moratorium applies to all policies in the area, according to AP.
Lara also called on insurance companies to stop any pending cancellations or non-renewals that were set to take effect after the start of the wildfires.
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The Navajo Scouts are helping fight fires in southern California, the Navajo Times reported on Wednesday.
The scouts, who are a Type 2 IA fire crew, have been deployed to the Eaton fire – which as of this morning is 45% contained, with 14,117 acres burned – to bolster LA fire crews.
Navajo Nation president Buu Nygren said in a social media post earlier this week:
Our Navajo Scouts, a dedicated team of 23 members, including a courageous female wildland firefighter, are highly trained and available to combat fires like these for ten months out of the year. They represent various communities across the Navajo Nation, united in their mission to help those in need.”
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In better news, a southern California woman has found her wedding ring under the rubble of her Altadena home, which was burned in the Eaton fire.
“I thought it had melted into a blob of metal, but [a firefighter] found my wedding band intact,” Victoria DeSantis told local news outlet KTLA.
Cal Fire documented the moment on Instagram.
“It’s these small moments that bring hope to devastation, and we’re proud of our firefighters for all they are doing to help in LA County,” the post said.
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Mayor Bass said she wished she could give a timeline regarding when people will have a roof over their heads again, but that she cannot.
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53,000 people apply for Fema aid
The regional Fema administrator Robert Fenton Jr said that more than 53,000 people have registered for Fema’s individual assistance program.
Twelve million dollars have already been distributed.
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Mayor Karen Bass reiterated the need to expedite the rebuilding process.
“We are one city. We stand together. The city and the county will do everything we can to expedite the rebuilding.”
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Hochman spoke against those price gouging housing costs, with some increasing rents by 100 to 300%.
“If we go ahead and find out that you’ve engaged in price gouging and you’ve taken no steps to remedy the violation that you’ve basically enacted, we will go ahead and prosecute you to the full extent of the law.”
Hochman warned: “Your name will get out there. Your company’s name will get out there. You will be publicly shamed.”
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The Los Angeles county district attorney, Nathan Hochman, said of the nine individuals arrested and charged for looting and the one person arrested and charged for arson earlier this week, their minimum sentences will be no less than six years.
“Justice will be swift. Justice will be significant if you want to take advantage of this tragedy,” Hochman said.
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There were two LAPD arrests related to arson, but not in connection to the Eaton or Palisades fires.
At 5.15pm, an arson suspect was detained. The LAPD said the suspect admitted to starting the fire “because he liked the smell of burning leaves”.
At 9.30pm, another person was arrested after setting multiple piles of rubbish on fire. Police said she admitted she “enjoyed causing chaos and destruction”.
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The Los Angeles police department chief, Jim McDonnell, says of the 38 people initially reported missing, 27 have been found safe.
Of the 11 remaining, two are most likely deceased but have yet to be positively identified.
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The LA county sheriff, Robert Luna, gave an update on missing persons:
Thirty-one were originally reported missing, but five people were found safe. However, 20 are still missing in the Eaton area and another six are still missing in the Palisades area.
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Forty-four people arrested for burglary, curfew violations or other offences
The total number of arrests for the LA county sheriff’s jurisdiction is 44 – 36 in the Eaton incident and eight in the Palisades incident. Fourteen of these arrests were for burglary. Other arrests were made for curfew violations, trespassing or possession of narcotics.
An individual was also arrested for impersonating a firefighter.
Eighty-two thousand people remain under evacuation warnings. The curfew is still in effect from 6am to 6pm.
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Crowley reiterated that downed power lines, broken gas lines, and unsafe water are just some of the challenges that are preventing people from returning to their homes and communities.
She said: “Please know we are working diligently to address these challenges and ensure your safety and the safety of our first responders.”
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The Los Angeles fire chief, Kristin Crowley, is now giving her update.
She spoke about another brush fire that broke out in the Lake View Terrace area of the city. The fire was aggressively attacked and all forward progress was stopped within 34 minutes. No structural damage occurred.
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Officials warn of critical fire weather conditions as strong winds in forecast
Critical fire weather conditions will continue through this evening. Officials warn the region is still at risk for 70mph winds.
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The Eaton fire is 45% contained, with 14,117 acres burned
The Palisades fire is 19% contained, with 23,713 acres burned.
There has been little to no fire growth on both incidents, officials say.
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A press briefing about the California fires is happening now.
As the Los Angeles wildfire spread closer to his home, George Elmaraghi was anxiously waiting for an evacuation order.
“When I saw the fire, from our backyard, almost parallel to our house. I was like, ‘OK, we gotta go’.”
George’s home in Altadena was destroyed in what is now the city’s most destructive wildfire. That fire is still burning and George and his family, along with 150,000 other displaced people, are now grappling with trauma, homelessness, insurance claims and the ultimate decision of whether to rebuild or walk away.
For Gabrielle Canon, the Guardian’s extreme weather correspondent, this unprecedented fire must be understood as a compound climate disaster: the disastrous end result of a chain of events exacerbated by the climate crisis.
Gabrielle explains to Michael Safi why popular anger is growing around the Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, and unpacks the potential climate crisis implications of incoming US president Donald Trump’s record on misinformation, fossil fuel extraction and federal disaster response.
Listen to the full episode below:
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Here are some updated Eaton fire stats:
There are a total 3,392 personnel assigned to the Eaton fire
274 engines have been deployed, along with 21 dozers, 77 water tenders, and 16 helicopters
6 firefighters have been injured
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The Eaton fire is now 45% contained
The fire, which began near Eaton Canyon in Pasadena, California, last Tuesday, has burned 14,117 acres (5,713 hectares). More than 4,500 structures have been damaged. But more progress has been made in containing the fire, officials say. It’s now 45% contained – up from 35% early this morning.
“Today’s efforts are focused on mop up and reinforcing containment lines to ensure perimeter control,” Angeles National Forest officials say in a statement. “Hazard trees along roadways are being mitigated to protect both firefighters and the public.”
Officials say the fire is expected to remain within its current footprint and aircraft will continue to drop fire retardant in inaccessible areas.
“Contingency resources are strategically prepositioned and ready to respond throughout communities along the fire’s western edge to due to the Santa Ana wind conditions.”
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As firefighters are battling multiple huge blazes tearing through Los Angeles, California’s prisons have deployed more than 1,000 incarcerated people to battle on the frontlines.
The California department of corrections and rehabilitation (CDCR) said that, as of Tuesday morning, 1,015 incarcerated people were embedded with the state’s other firefighters to help slow the spread of the infernos that have killed at least 25 people and devastated neighborhoods across LA county.
More than 20 incarcerated crews have been deployed over the last week, dressed in orange uniforms and working in perilous conditions. They primarily use hand tools to cut fire lines and remove fuel by structures.
Japan will contribute $2m in aid to California to assist in the recovery from recent wildfires, the country’s ministry of foreign affairs announced on Wednesday
“Japan will actively provide assistance for the relief of the victims and the earliest possible recovery of the affected areas,” the ministry said.
The assistance will be given through the American Red Cross.
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More than 90,000 people in southern California still without power
92,000 southern California customers are without power, according to poweroutage.us.
These impacted customers are in Ventura, San Bernadino, Riverside, and San Diego counties.
A “particularly dangerous situation” – the most extreme advance warning, that can be issued for expected weather hazards by the National Weather Service – is in place for parts of southern California, like Ventura county. A combination of damaging winds, low humidity, and dry vegetation means this region remains at high risk of extreme fire behavior and very rapid growth.
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The Altadena post office was damaged from the Eaton fire and the Pacific Palisades post office is closed due to impact from the Palisades fire.
A full list of relocated post offices can be found on the USPS’s website here.
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Many aspects of life have been impacted by the California fires, including the ability to send and receive mail.
The United States postal service issued a statement on the critical situation: “The wildfires burning in southern California are a catastrophic disaster, disrupting services and operations for many organizations – including the postal service’s ability to deliver mail and packages – across the Los Angeles region. During this time, the postal service’s primary focus is to maintain the safety and security of our employees, while ensuring that customers affected by the California wildfires receive their mail and packages as swiftly as possible.”
USPS said it is working around the clock to restore operations wherever safely possible, but adding that “the full recovery of service to the impacted areas may stretch forward for some time”.
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California state and local leadership and the Los Angeles fire department have been criticised for not preparing enough for these wildfires. The fires, while unprecedented, were not a total surprise.
Despite extraordinary warnings of life-threatening winds last Tuesday, fire officials did not order firefighters to remain on duty for a second shift as the winds were building and deployed just five of more than 40 available engines, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The department, the LA Times reports, sent more firefighters and engines only after the Palisades fire was burning out of control.
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Newsom’s executive order accomplishes two things:
Makes unsolicited undervalued offers to purchase property from property owners in specified zip codes of Los Angeles County unlawful for a period of three months from the date of this order.
Directs the department of real estate, along with other state agencies, to provide notice to the public of their rights under the law, resources for more information, and contact information for law enforcement agencies, such as the attorney general’s Office and district attorney, with the power to enforce the prohibition.
Those violating Newsom’s order can be reported to the state attorney general’s office and may be charged with a misdemeanor, which could be punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or by imprisonment for up to six months, or both.
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California governor issues order to protect homeowners from land speculators
California governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on Tuesday to protect homeowners affected by the Los Angeles fires from predatory behavior, like land speculators making aggressive and unsolicited cash offers to purchase their property.
“As families mourn, the last thing they need is greedy speculators taking advantage of their pain,” Newsom said. “I have heard first-hand from community members and victims who have received unsolicited and predatory offers from speculators offering cash far below market value – some while their homes were burning. We will not allow greedy developers to rip off these working-class communities at a time when they need more support than ever before.”
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In the year preceding the devastating Los Angeles county wildfires, big oil fiercely lobbied to kill a “polluter pay” bill that moved through the California senate and would have forced major fossil fuel companies to help cover the costs of climate disasters.
Fossil-fuel industry lobbying in California spiked to record levels during the 2023-24 legislative session, and the polluter pay bill was among the most targeted pieces of legislation, a Guardian review of state lobby filings found.
The bill was included in about 76% of 74 filings last year from two top lobbying forces in the state – oil giant Chevron and the Western States Petroleum Association, the largest fossil-fuel trade group in California.
Chevron and Western States’ filings that included polluter pay totalled over $30m, although it is impossible to know spending levels for individual bills because lobbying laws do not require a breakdown. Others in the lobbying blitz included at least 34 of the world’s largest oil producers, industry trade groups, and a range of greenhouse gas-polluting companies such as Phillips 66 and Valero, records show.
The measure would have required the state’s largest carbon polluters to pay into a fund that would be used to prevent disasters or help cover cleanup efforts. The effort to thwart it leaves taxpayers for now shouldering much of the cost of catastrophes in part fueled by big oil’s pollution.
“The latest fire shows exactly how Californians are paying for climate destruction, not just with budget dollars, but with their lives, and it shows exactly why we need … to put the cost back on polluters” said Kassie Siegel, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, which has lobbied in support of the bill.
The legislation, called the Polluters Pay Climate Cost Recovery Act of 2024, has new life in the wake of the Los Angeles catastrophe, its supporters say, but the industry is already mobilizing. On the day after the wildfires started, Western States launched an ad campaign implying such measures would force them to increase oil prices.
More than 6m people under critical fire threat in southern California
More than 6 million people are under a critical fire threat on Wednesday across several counties in southern California, reports CNN. This also includes cities outside Los Angeles county such as Anaheim, Riverside, San Bernardino and Oxnard.
The National Weather Service (NWS) forecast north-east winds of 20-30mph, with gusts of 50mph possible. In its Wednesday national forecast chart, the NWS said:
Critical fire weather conditions will continue for coastal southern California through Wednesday due to moderate to locally strong Santa Ana winds. Particularly dangerous situation red flag warnings remain in effect.
Much below average temperatures Wednesday from the midwest to the central Appalachians while a brief warm up moves into the central US.
Another surge of Arctic air will move over the central and eastern US beginning this weekend. Heavy lake effect snow will continue downwind of the Great Lakes with the heaviest forecast off Lakes Erie and Ontario into early Thursday.”
Wednesday's National Forecast Chart:
— National Weather Service (@NWS) January 15, 2025
Critical fire weather conditions will continue for coastal southern California through Wednesday due to moderate to locally strong Santa Ana winds. Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warnings remain in effect.
Much below average… pic.twitter.com/lh47b78mWl
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About 88,000 people remain displaced due to the LA fires, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
For those whose homes survived, there is frustration about not being able to return, while for others, there is nothing left.
“We all left with the clothes on our back,” Sonja Jackson told the Los Angeles Times as she waited in line for government help. “We thought we’d be able to come back in the morning. We didn’t think the fires were gonna do what they did.”
The scale of the disaster was still difficult for many to grasp, with Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, saying it was only after flying over it that she had started to appreciate the immensity of the damage.
“It’s one thing to see it on television, it’s another thing to see it from air. The massive, massive destruction is unimaginable until you actually see it,” she said.
AccuWeather increased its assessment of the total cost of the tragedy to between $250bn and $275bn, a figure that would make it one of the most costly in US history.
Federal authorities said on Tuesday they have launched a probe into the causes of the fires, but warned it could take time.
“We know everyone wants answers, and the community deserves answers. ATF will give you those answers, but it will be once we complete a thorough investigation,” said Jose Medina of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
In the windblown dust and ash advisory, issued on Tuesday by the Los Angeles county public health department, there are some precautions to reduce exposure listed.
They are, per the department’s website:
Stay inside: Keep windows and doors closed. Use an air purifier or run your air conditioning system on recirculate to keep indoor air clean.
Wear a mask: If you must go outside, wear an N95 or P100 mask to protect your lungs.
Secure loose items: Tie down or bring in items like chairs, trash cans, and other outdoor belongings to prevent them from becoming hazards.
Protect your eyes: If outside, wear goggles to shield your eyes from airborne ash and debris.
Stay informed: Monitor updates from local news sources for the latest on weather conditions, air quality, and potential evacuation notices.
Be prepared: Have a plan in place in case conditions worsen, including essential supplies and emergency contacts.
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LA county public health department warn gusty winds may whip up toxic ash and advise people to wear masks
Gusting winds were also whipping up toxic ash, with health officials urging everyone to wear a mask, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“Ash is not just dirt,” said Anish Mahajan of the Los Angeles county public health department. “It’s hazardous fine dust that can irritate or harm your respiratory system and other parts of your body where it lands.”
California governor, Gavin Newsom, on Tuesday ordered debris removal teams to be on standby, as emergency managers look ahead to possible winter rainstorms that could provoke mudslides.
Some Palisades locals have decided not to wait, working to remove scorched debris from roads and sidewalks themselves, reports AFP.
Contractor Chuck Hart and his crew were working on a construction site in his neighbourhood when the fire broke out. AFP reports that after they saved his mother’s house from encroaching flames, Hart said they began making rounds to clean debris from the streets.
“We just rock-and-rolled,” he said. “We’ve just been doing that non-stop ever since.”
“We’re going to do everything we can to get this place back up and running as quickly as possible.”
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Fire-hit LA faces new peril as dangerous gusts forecast
Powerful winds forecast for Wednesday threatened to whip up massive fires still burning around Los Angeles, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
A week after blazes erupted and spread uncontained, forecasters predicted “particularly dangerous” Santa Ana winds would spike.
“Stay aware of your surroundings. Be ready to evacuate. Avoid anything that can spark a fire,” the National Weather Service (NWS) said, warning of gusts up to 70 miles (110 kilometers) an hour between 3am (11am GMT) and 3pm (11pm GMT) on Wednesday.
Part of Los Angeles county and much of neighboring Ventura county were in a “particularly dangerous situation,” according to the NWS, a designation that was in effect before last week’s deadly blazes.
“All the plants and vegetation is really dry and ready to burn so … fires can grow pretty fast,” meteorologist Ryan Kittell told AFP on Tuesday.
The Palisades and Eaton fires – both of which are still burning in places – could flare up, and new ignitions could quickly turn problematic, Kittell said.
Officials insisted they were poised for any renewed threats, particularly around the existing burn sites, after hydrants ran dry in the initial firefight.
“We have checked the water system in the Eaton fire area, and it is operational, meaning that we have water and we have pressure,” fire chief Anthony Marrone said.
The renewed danger comes with 24,000 acres (9,700 hectares) of the upmarket Pacific Palisades in ruins and 14,000 acres (5,700 hectares) of the community of Altadena badly charred.
In case you missed it, here is a piece on the “convoy of incredible people” saving animals from California’s infernal fires:
Preston Martin figured the retro blue Volkswagen van he slept in for a year during college was a goner, given that he had parked it in a Malibu neighbourhood just before the Palisades fire ripped through, reducing homes and cars to rubble and charred metal.
So the surfboard maker was stunned to find that the vehicle had survived. Not only that, a photo of the vibrant bus taken by an Associated Press photographer was circulating widely on television and online, giving viewers a measure of joy.
“There is magic in that van,” Martin, 24, said Tuesday in an interview with AP. “It makes no sense why this happened. It should have been toasted, but here we are.”
Martin bought the 1977 Volkswagen Type 2 somewhat on a whim sometime around his junior year studying mechanical engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
His mother, Tracey Martin, of Irvine, yelled at him for blowing his money, Martin said, but he told her he’d save on rent by fixing up the inside and living in it his senior year, which he did. She came to love the bus, and sewed curtains for the windows.
Last summer, he sold the van to his friend and business partner, Megan Krystle Weinraub, 29, who designs surf- and skateboards under the Vibrant Boards brand. Martin makes carbon fiber surfboards under Starlite.
On 5 January, the friends went surfing with the van, which Weinraub calls Azul, Spanish for “blue”. Afterward, Martin parked it on a flat spot up the hill from her apartment by the Getty Villa, as she was still learning to drive the manual transmission.
Two days later, the Palisades fire erupted, and Weinraub fled with her dog, Bodi, and some dog food in her primary car. She felt sad about Azul, she said, but felt it was minor compared with those who had lost homes or even loved ones.
On Thursday, a neighbor sent her a photo. In the background was the bus, still blue and white and not at all damaged.
LA mayor, Karen Bass, has shared a phone number for residents who have evacuated to get assistance in finding and retrieving pets in evacuation areas.
Posting on X, Bass wrote:
Pets are family.
The City is making help available to find and retrieve pets in evacuation areas.
Call (213) 270-8155 for assistance.”
California governor says 'conditioning aid is simply un-American' after house speaker comments
“Conditioning aid is simply un-American,” the California governor, Gavin Newsom, said in response to suggestions that additional aid might come with certain conditions.
House speake, Mike Johnson, has said he believes there should be conditions on disaster aid to California, citing “state and local leaders [who] were derelict in their duties”.
Asked by an MSNBC journalist what his reaction was to Johnson’s comments and those from other leaders in Washington DC that echo the sentiment, Newsom said:
Well if that’s leadership, I have a different definition. I imagine it would be universally felt here.
I’m not meeting Democrats, I’m not meeting Republicans, I’m not meeting Californians. I’m meeting American citizens, desperate [and] in need, and what they need is empathy, care, compassion [and] understanding. They need support, not rhetoric, not ‘strings attached’.
I mean, I met families who lost not only their home, but their business and their church, their sense of self, place [and] community.”
In the video of the interview with MSNBC, posted on Newsom’s X account, he added:
They [residents] had a Zoom the other night and everyone broke down crying because all they wanted to do is see the faces of one another. And yet, that’s the face of leadership in the United States of America? Conditioning aid to the American people in need? Politicising this tragic moment?
So, I’ll spare any more commentary on it, except to say I would encourage these people – they’re human beings, they’re parents, I respect that – to come out here visit, visit with these folks and let’s have a conversation after that.”
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As a reminder, here is the status of the southern California fires, as of midday on Tuesday:
The Palisades fire, at 23,700 acres and 17% containment.
The Eaton fire, at 14,100 acres and 35% containment.
The Hurst fire, at nearly 800 acres and 97% containment.
The new Auto fire, which broke out on Monday night in Ventura, is now fully contained, and no evacuation orders remain in effect.
Updated
As fires continue to burn across Los Angeles, several utilities in areas most affected by the fires have declared their drinking water unsafe until extensive testing can prove otherwise. Toxic chemicals from fires can get into damaged drinking water systems, and even filtering or boiling won’t help, experts say.
The California governor, Gavin Newsom, announced on Tuesday that he had signed an executive order to “fast-track recovery efforts for students and families displaced by LA’s firestorms”, a move that may in part be a response to ongoing political frustration with slow school reopenings in parts of California during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We’re cutting red tape to help damaged and destroyed schools quickly set up temporary facilities, ensuring students can return to classrooms as soon as possible,” Newsom said.
School districts in Pasadena and Los Angeles reported that hundreds of teachers and staff had lost their homes in the fires, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.
Angelenos have responded to the destruction with an outpouring of support for the wildfire victims, and for the firefighters working around the clock to prevent the fires from moving further down into densely populated city neighbourhoods. Some informal donation centers have been overwhelmed with contributions, as restaurants and clothing boutiques across the city offer up free meals for first responders and free clothing for the people who have lost their homes.
The celebrated hip-hop producer Madlib has confirmed the loss of his extensive record collection and much of his recording equipment along with his home in the wildfires that have swept across California and killed at least 25 people.
The influential musician, who has worked with some of the most prominent names in rap including Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and MF DOOM, is known for his sample-heavy production style. His record collection, amassed over 30 years, acted as the backbone of that work.
The collection is understood to have comprised thousands of rare vinyls, CDs and cassettes encompassing many musical genres, and included records he collected on his global travels. As well as creating and producing hip-hop, Madlib worked on experimental music including the Sound Ancestors collaboration with the electronic musician Four Tet, and founded the Madlib Invazion label.
Some of his most frequent collaborators were creators of alternative hip-hop including Erykah Badu, Talib Kweli and J Dilla, and his work often included elements of world music and jazz. His best known collaborator is probably the late MF DOOM, with whom he used his archive and equipment to produce the critically acclaimed album Madvillainy in his LA studio.
News of the loss was met with consternation by fans online, while an online fundraiser, shared by fellow artists such as Flying Lotus and Freddie Gibbs, has been set up for Madlib – whose birth name is Otis Lee Jackson Jr – and his family.
On Tuesday afternoon, officials said at least 25 people had died from the southern California fires. But the death toll is likely to rise, according to Los Angeles county sheriff, Robert Luna.
Nearly 30 people were still missing, Luna said on Tuesday. Some people reported as missing earlier have been found.
According to the Associated Press, just under 90,000 people in the county remained under evacuation orders, half the number from last week.
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Here are some of the latest images that have come in on the newswires:
LA police announced about 50 arrests, for looting, flying drones in fire zones, violating curfew and other crimes
Millions of southern Californians were on edge as a final round of dangerous fire weather was forecast for the region on Wednesday, reports the Associated Press (AP).
Police announced roughly 50 arrests, for looting, flying drones in fire zones, violating curfew and other crimes.
Of those, three people were arrested on suspicion of arson after being seen setting small fires that were immediately extinguished, LA police chief Jim McDonnell said. One was using a barbecue lighter, another ignited brush and a third tried to light a trash can, he said. All were far outside the disaster zones. Authorities have not determined a cause for any of the major fires.
Among nine people charged with looting was a group that stole an Emmy award from an evacuated house, Los Angeles county district attorney, Nathan Hochman, said.
The biggest worry remained the threat from intense winds. Now backed by firefighters from other states, Canada and Mexico, crews were deployed to attack flareups or new blazes. The firefighting force was much bigger than a week ago, when the first wave of fires began destroying thousands of homes in what could become the nation’s costliest fire disaster.
Kaylin Johnson and her family told the AP that they planned to spend the night at their home, one of the few left standing in Altadena, near Pasadena. They intended to keep watch to ward off looting and to hose down the house and her neighbors’ properties to prevent flareups.
“Our lives have been put on hold indefinitely,” Johnson said via text message to the AP, adding that they cannot freely come and go because of restrictions on entering the burn areas. “But I would rather be here and not leave than to not be allowed back at all.”
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'A crisis that impacts the nation': LA mayor talks up recovery of city
Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, has cautioned residents that the emergency isn’t over yet, but she wants them to start thinking about recovery and rebuilding if possible.
“While we’re going through what I hope is the final hours of this emergency, it’s also time to begin to talk about our recovery,” she said.
You can listen to her comments in this video:
Risk of ‘rapid fire spread’ as near hurricane-force winds forecast in some areas
Forecasters have warned of another “particularly dangerous weather situation” across northern Los Angeles where residents are braced for new wildfire evacuation orders.
Los Angeles, and parts of Ventura county to the north, faced “extreme fire risk” warnings through Wednesday, with officials warning of “significant risk of rapid fire spread” due to the Santa Ana winds – which have gusts of up to 75mph.
The “particularly dangerous weather situation” designation is used very rarely, and was designed by meteorologists to signal “the extreme of the extremes”. The winds were predicted to reach near hurricane-force in some areas.
This is the fourth time in recent months that Los Angeles has faced a “particularly dangerous weather situation”, and the three previous warnings all resulted in major wildfires, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“I don’t want people to start thinking everything’s OK now. Everything’s not OK yet,” the Los Angeles county sheriff, Robert Luna, said in a Tuesday morning press conference. “It is still very dangerous for the next 24 hours.”
Meanwhile, the official death toll from last week’s fires in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades is expected to rise.
Here is the latest on the evolving situation in southern California:
As of Tuesday morning, 84,800 people had been warned they might be ordered to evacuate because of fire risk, while another 88,000 people remained under current evacuation orders.
On Tuesday afternoon, officials said at least 25 people had died from the fires, but this number is expected to rise. At least two dozen people have been reported missing, 18 of them in the Eaton fire in north-east Los Angeles, and six around the Pacific Palisades.
More than 12,000 structures had been destroyed. Estimates put the cost of damage at about $250bn, which could make it the costliest fire in American history.
Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, and other officials – who have faced criticism over their initial response to the fires – expressed confidence that the region was ready to face the new threat with scores of additional firefighters brought in from around the US, as well as from Canada and Mexico. At a press conference, Bass described the level of destruction across parts of the city as the aftermath of a “dry hurricane”, and pledged that city officials would work hard to reduce the bureaucracy residents may face as they start to recover from the fires.
More than 75,000 households, most of them in Los Angeles county, were without power on Tuesday morning, but Southern California Edison had warned nearly half a million customers on Monday that their power may be shut off temporarily because of the expected high winds on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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As of midday on Tuesday:
The Palisades fire, at 23,700 acres and 17% containment.
The Eaton fire, at 14,100 acres and 35% containment.
The Hurst fire, at nearly 800 acres and 97% containment.
The new Auto fire, which broke out on Monday night in Ventura, is now fully contained, and no evacuation orders remain in effect.
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