Los Angeles officials expect the death toll from the wildfires in the county to continue to rise, as workers comb through incinerated neighbourhoods with cadaver dogs.
Nearly 180,000 people have been evacuated and at least 10 have been killed in the fast-moving fires that have torn through the county, propelled by hurricane-force winds. The burnt areas now cover more than 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres), with about 10,000 structures charred by the two biggest blazes. Meanwhile, Santa Monica declared a curfew because of looting, officials said, with at least 20 arrests made.
After briefly easing on Thursday, the gales were expected to intensify again in the evening and into Friday. Even as officials expressed cautious optimism that the Sunset fire in the Hollywood Hills was now under control, a new fire, the Kenneth fire, erupted on Thursday afternoon in the San Fernando valley, triggering evacuation orders.
Firefighters are hoping for a break from fierce winds that have fueled massive blazes in the Los Angeles area.
Fire danger warnings are in place through Friday afternoon, but winds have died down from earlier in the week, when hurricane-force gusts blew embers that ignited hillsides. That could give firefighters a chance to make more progress, but meteorologist Rich Thompson warned the break could be short-lived, reports the Associated Press (AP).
“We’re looking for a little respite on Friday and Saturday from the Santa Ana winds but then they’re going to pick up again Sunday through most of next week,” he said at a fire briefing on Thursday evening.
Here are some more images coming in from California:
As wildfires devastate LA, Republicans point fingers at Democratic California leaders
If ever a situation cried out for elevating national unity over political divisions, the dystopian scenes emanating from the Los Angeles fires surely qualified.
The catastrophe that has left at least five people dead, more than 1,000 structures destroyed and forced thousands fleeing their homes would – in an ideal and less polarised America – spur humane empathy and solidarity in place of tribal partisanship.
Instead, amid nightmarish images eerily evocative of Cormac McCarthy’s dark post-apocalyptic novel, The Road, a political firestorm has sparked from Donald Trump and his supporters that seems as scorched earth in its characteristics as the blazes ravaging neighborhoods across Los Angeles.
Far from calling a temporary truce, the president-elect and his Maga (make America great again) acolytes have used the fires to attack the Democratic political ruling establishment in Los Angeles and California – possibly foretelling power struggles ahead over a range of issues after Trump assumes office this month.
The attacks have used disinformation, wild claims, conspiracy theories and extremist culture war tropes. But absent from their critique has been any acknowledgement that climate change has played any role in igniting the catastrophic fires – despite a consensus among experts that they have been caused by exceptional environmental conditions, including near hurricane-strength winds, low rainfall and unseasonably high temperatures.
The Republicans have instead blamed Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, for supposedly failing to ensure enough water was available to douse the infernos – along with his fellow Democrat, Karen Bass, the Los Angeles mayor, who drew flak for not returning from a pre-planned trip to Ghana until after the fires began. Also targeted has been the head of LA’s fire department, Kristin Crowley, derided as a “DEI [diversity, equity and inclusiveness] hire” in reference to her being the first openly gay woman to hold the position.
Here is the latest Weather Tracker analysis, by Brendan Wood at Metdesk:
The rapid spread of one of the most destructive wildfires in the history of Los Angeles is believed to have been fuelled by strong Santa Ana winds and months of drought.
Santa Ana winds occur between September and May, when high pressure over the deserts of the south-western US and low pressure off the coast of California allow winds to flow east to west, through mountain passages in California towards the ocean. This week, a strong Santa Ana event brought gusts of 100mph (160km/h) to Los Angeles.
With wildfires raging in the path of Santa Ana winds, burning debris and embers were picked up and deposited downwind, allowing flames to spread across wide areas with ease. The Palisades fire, the largest of many burning simultaneously in the region, ballooned from 312 hectares to 6,900 on Tuesday.
The gusty nature of Santa Ana winds has made the fires particularly challenging to contain owing to their unpredictability. Southern California has not received much rain in eight months, causing vegetation to become dry and giving more fuel to the fires.
The winds have eased in recent days, allowing for the deployment of aerial support for fire crews on the ground, but conditions will remain blustery with gusts of up to 70mph possible in places. As a result, red flag warnings remain in effect until Friday, when calmer conditions are expected. Widespread smoke has led to very poor air quality across the region.
Paris Hilton has shared footage, which can be seen in the below video, of her beachfront home in Malibu after watching it burn down on live TV.
US property and casualty insurance stocks fell in premarket trading on Friday after wildfires in Los Angeles killed at least 10 people and destroyed nearly 10,000 structures, with five fires burning into a third night, reports Reuters.
The Palisades fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on the city’s western flank and the Eaton fire in the east near Pasadena already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history.
Insurers are expected to face catastrophe-related claims worth billions of dollars from the disaster, which analysts estimate will be the costliest ever in California.
“We expect insured losses to run well into the billions of dollars, given the high value of homes and businesses in the affected areas, and to cause large losses for P&C insurers with significant homeowners and commercial property market share in Los Angeles,” Moody’s Ratings said in a note seen by Reuters.
Analysts at Morningstar DBRS pegged insured losses in excess of $8bn, based on preliminary estimates. JP Morgan expects the losses to reach as high as $10bn. Sector bellwether Travelers fell 4% before the bell. Mercury General slumped 32%, while Allstate, Chubb and AIG dropped between 4% and 6%, reports Reuters.
European insurers also traded lower with Beazley, Lancashire and Hiscox all down about 3%, the three biggest losers across UK-listed large and midcaps. .
The Pacific Palisades area is one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in the US, home to Hollywood A-listers and multimillion dollar mansions. Ahead of this week’s disaster, its insurance costs were among the most affordable in the country, according to a Reuters analysis. But that is likely to change after the scale of losses anticipated in the wildfires now ringing Los Angeles, as well as regulatory changes enacted late last year, four analysts told Reuters earlier this week.
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As Los Angeles firefighters battle ongoing blazes, prominent rightwing figures are spreading bigoted criticism of the response and lies about who’s to blame, including that the fire is raging because of diversity within the fire department.
The misinformation echoes the claims that plagued the North Carolina hurricane response. Both disasters led to righteous outrage that partisan actors seize upon to advance their political goals, muddying the already confusing information ecosystem that comes along with a fast-moving news event.
In what has become a common theme, rightwing media and commentary have said that diversity within the Los Angeles fire department is to blame for the devastation.
“Meet Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley,” X account Libs of TikTok, known for spreading anti-LBGTQ+ rhetoric, posted. “She boasts about being the first female and LGBTQ fire chief in the LA Fire Department. Promoting a culture of DEI is her priority. Does this make you feel safer?” In another tweet, the same account, which has nearly 4 million followers, wrote: “DEI will get people k*lled. DEI must DIE.”
Much of the misinformation also includes claims of mismanagement by the LA mayor Karen Bass and the California governor Gavin Newsom.
The spread of rumors, misinformation and lies can hinder the ability of emergency responders to do their jobs and confuses residents who need accurate, up-to-date information to make choices to keep themselves safe. It also makes it more difficult for people to assess whether accountability is needed for their public officials when lies are commingled with valid criticisms.
False claims of federal disaster relief funds being diverted to migrants have also resurfaced. Criticism of environmental practices, like allegedly protecting fish over people or limiting prescribed burns have been elevated. Unrelated donations to Ukraine became a scapegoat. Donald Trump Jr, the president’s oldest son, intimated that donations the Los Angeles fire department sent to Ukraine in 2022 somehow were related to the response.
People on varying parts of the political spectrum, including Los Angeles Times publisher Patrick Soon-Shiong, have claimed the fire department’s budget saw big cuts – it didn’t, Politico notes.
The year 2024 was the hottest on record, a spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organisation said ahead of the release later on Friday of a comprehensive report incorporating the findings of several regional climate monitoring institutes (see earlier post).
The findings, due to be released at 5pm Geneva time (2.50am PST/4pm GMT) will collate findings of meteorological observatories in Britain, China, the EU and the US, WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis said.
“The WMO will later today confirm that 2024 was the hottest year on record,” she told a news conference in Geneva, reports Reuters.
“We saw extraordinary land and sea surface temperatures, extraordinary ocean heat, accompanied by very extreme weather affecting many countries around the world, destroying lives, livelihoods, hopes and dreams,” she added.
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The wildfires have burned the homes of several celebrities including Billy Crystal, Carey Elwes and Paris Hilton, reports the Associated Press (AP).
Actor Steve Guttenberg has spoken to the AP, telling the news agency that his property was miraculously spared when a wildfire that tore through the Pacific Palisades left his neighbourhood charred and unrecognizable.
Guttenberg told the AP that he never expected all of this to happen. “It’s like when someone dies suddenly,” he said. “It’s like when someone gets hit by a car. You never expect that to happen. That’s how shocking it was.”
“I’ve seen people scared, people in wheelchairs, mothers and fathers trying to find their kids, people having anxiety and panic attacks,” said Guttenberg, who returned to his neighbourhood to help others who stayed behind with relief efforts. He has helped move cars to clear the street, handed out food and assisted neighbours from out their homes.
“All these houses behind me burned to the ground where their families enjoyed wonderful times together with their friends and family,” said Guttenberg while pointing at one charred home before dropping his head in sadness. “There’s really a lot of pain going on right now. I’m doing whatever I can to help alleviate it.”
“Everybody’s gonna do what regular people do: Help each other, give each other food and water, help each other in their back yards, in their front yards,” he said. “Even though somebody’s an actor, producer, writer, director, we’re all just people … Maybe people can donate at one point to some sort of fund. But I just think, be a good neighbor right now.”
When asked by the AP about the timeline for his neighbourhood’s recovery, Guttenberg said it could take anywhere from five to 10 years to rebuild and fully heal. “It’s going to be a lot of work,” he said. “It’s going to be unbelievable to try to rebuild this. Rebuild all the beautiful trees, homes and retail shops and lifestyle. The psychology of it all, it’s going to take a long time.”
The American Red Cross said its dedicated disaster responders are on the ground in Southern California and have shared how those affected can get help.
Shelters are open in southern California providing food, health services and other support, the American Red Cross said. For those seeking shelter, they advise:
Call 1-800-RED CROSS
Visit redcross.org/shelters
Use the Red Cross Emergency app
It has also published evacuation advice on X:
Park your car facing the direction of your evacuation route.
Keep pets in one room so you can quickly grab them.
Leave a go-bag with emergency supplies by the door.
You can watch the Los Angeles fire department issue a mandatory evacuation order for the Kenneth fire in this video below:
These satellite pictures reveal the scale of destruction from the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles.
Southern California Edison said on Thursday it had received notices from insurance companies to preserve evidence related to the Eaton fire, but said no fire agencies have pointed to the utility’s connection to the fire.
Here are some recent photos coming in via the newswires:
Oscar-winning actor and director Mel Gibson has expressed frustration at the city’s response to the wildfires which has seen criticism aimed at governor of California, Gavin Newsom, and Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, reports the Press Association (PA).
During a podcast interview with Joe Rogan, Gibson expressed frustration, saying Newsom “didn’t do anything” to help address underlying environmental issues which have remained a problem in southern California for many years.
“I think Newsom said ‘I’m going to take care of the forest and maintain the forest and do all that kind of stuff’ – he didn’t do anything,” Gibson told Rogan.
“I think all our tax dollars probably went for Gavin’s hair gel,” Gibson joked. “It’s sad, the place is just on fire.”
Gibson has also shared that his home was lost in the Los Angeles wildfires while he was away recording a podcast interview. Appearing on NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas Reports, Gibson said he returned from Austin, Texas, after recording the Joe Rogan Experience to find his Malibu home was “completely toasted”.
The Mad Max star, 69, described the loss as “emotional” and “devastating”, but attempted to remain upbeat as he said his family were “happy and healthy and out of harm’s way”.
“I was doing the Rogan podcast, I was kind of ill at ease while we were talking because I knew my neighbourhood was on fire, so I thought ‘I wonder if my place is still there’, but when I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there,” he said.
Gibson added:
I’ve never seen such a complete burn, it is obviously devastating, it’s emotional. You live there for a long time, and you had all your stuff. I lived there for about 14, 15 years so it was home to me.
I had a lot of personal things there that I can’t get back – everything from photographs to files to just personal things that I had from over the years.
That can all be replaced. These are only things. And the good news is that those in my family and those I love are all well, and we’re all happy and healthy and out of harm’s way.”
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Agence France-Presse have a report on the devastation of the Los Angeles fires as viewed from a helicopter on Thursday:
Flying south through smoky skies down the famous Malibu coast, at first the burnt-out mansions are the exception – solitary wrecks, smoldering away between rows of intact, gleaming beachfront villas.
But draw closer to Pacific Palisades and those small scorched ruins become sporadic clusters, and then endless rows of charred, crumpled homes.
From the air, the extent of the devastation from the Palisades fire on these two neighbourhods is starting to come into focus: whole streets in ruins, the remains of once-fabulous houses now nothing but ash and memories.
Access to this area of utter devastation has been largely closed to the public and even to evacuated residents since the fire began Tuesday.
The biggest among multiple blazes covering Los Angeles, the inferno has now ripped through more than 19,000 acres (7,700 hectares) of Pacific Palisades and Malibu.
A preliminary estimate of destroyed structures was “in the thousands,” city fire chief, Kristin Crowley, told Thursday’s conference. “It is safe to say that the Palisades fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles,” said Crowley.
For AFP reporters surveying the scenes from a helicopter on Thursday, it was hard to argue with that view.
On some of these highly coveted Malibu oceanfront plots, beloved by celebrities, skeletal frames of buildings indicated the lavish scale of what has been destroyed.
Other multimillion dollar mansions have vanished entirely, seemingly swept into the Pacific Ocean by the force of the Palisades fire. And looming above Malibu, a thin sliver of luxurious waterfront property, is Pacific Palisades itself – an affluent plateau of expensive real estate, now deserted.
Not the entire hilltop is blackened. Several grand homes stand unscathed. Some streets have been spared entirely. But toward the southern end of the Palisades, grids of roads that were until Tuesday lined with stunning homes now resemble makeshift cemeteries.
Where row upon row of family homes once stood, all that remain are occasional chimneys, blackened tree stumps and charred timber.
At a press conference on Thursday, Los Angeles district attorney, Nathan Hochman, described walking through Pacific Palisades to the remains of his sister’s home as “apocalyptic.”
“Not since the 1990s when Los Angeles was hit with the fires, the flood, the earthquake and the riots, have I seen such disaster occur here in our city,” he said.
“This is crazy,” agreed Albert Azouz, a helicopter pilot who has flown these skies for almost a decade, observing the destruction from above on Thursday. “All these homes, gone.”
Updated
All schools in Los Angeles unified school district closed on Friday
At least 180,000 people were under evacuation orders, reports the Associated Press (AP) and the fires have consumed about 45 square miles (117 square kilometers) – roughly the size of San Francisco. The Palisades fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history.
All schools in the Los Angeles unified school district, the nation’s second largest, will be closed on Friday because of the heavy smoke wafting over the city and ash raining down in parts, and classes will not resume until the conditions improve, officials said.
At least 20 arrests have been made for looting, and the city of Santa Monica declared a curfew because of the lawlessness, officials said.
National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday evening. The county sheriff said to protect properties they will be stationed near the areas ravaged by fire and a curfew was expected to go into effect from 6pm until 6am.
Earlier in the week, hurricane-force winds blew embers, igniting the southern California hillsides.
It is impossible to quantify the extent of the destruction other than “total devastation and loss,” said Barbara Bruderlin, head of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce.
“There are areas where everything is gone, there isn’t even a stick of wood left, it’s just dirt,” Bruderlin said, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Of the 10 deaths so far, Los Angeles Fire chief, Kristin Crowley, confirmed two were in the Palisades fire. County officials said the Eaton fire had killed five.
Cadaver dogs and crews are searching through rubble, Los Angeles County sheriff Robert Luna said.
Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy, were waiting for an ambulance to come, but they did not make it out, Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, told the Washington Post.
Shari Shaw told KTLA that she tried to get her 66-year-old brother, Victor Shaw, to evacuate on Tuesday night but he wanted to stay and fight the fire. Crews found his body with a garden hose in his hand.
On Thursday, recovery crews pulled a body from rubble of a beachfront residence in Malibu on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. A charred washer and dryer were among the few things that remained, reports the AP.
AccuWeather, a private company that provides data on weather and its impact, on Thursday increased its estimate of the damage and economic loss to $135-$150bn, reports the Associated Press (AP).
Firefighters made significant gains on Thursday at slowing the spread of the major fires, but containment remained far out of reach.
Crews also knocked down a blaze in the Hollywood Hills with the help of water drops from aircraft, allowing an evacuation to be lifted on Thursday. The fire that sparked late on Wednesday near the heart of the entertainment industry came perilously close to igniting the famed Hollywood Bowl outdoor concert venue.
Fire officials do not yet know the cause of the fires but are actively investigating.
LA area's two biggest blazes burn at least 10,000 structures
The two biggest wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area have burned at least 10,000 homes, buildings and other structures, officials said on Thursday as they urged more people to heed evacuation orders after a new blaze ignited and quickly grew.
The fast-moving Kenneth fire started in the late afternoon in the San Fernando Valley just 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from a school serving as a shelter for fire evacuees and then moved into neighboring Ventura County by the evening.
Only hours earlier officials expressed encouragement after firefighters aided by calmer winds and help from crews from outside the state saw the first signs of successfully beating back the region’s devastating wildfires that have killed 10 people so far.
“We are expecting this fire to rapidly spread due to high winds,” Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, said, echoing the forecast that called for winds to strengthen Thursday evening through Friday morning.
The Associated Press (AP) reports that the orders came as Los Angeles County officials announced the Eaton fire near Pasadena that started on Tuesday night has burned more than 5,000 structures, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. To the west in Pacific Palisades, the largest of the fires burning in the LA area has destroyed more than 5,300 structures.
All of the large fires that have broken out this week in the Los Angeles area are located in a roughly 25-mile (40-kilometer) band north of downtown.
Dozens of blocks were flattened to smoldering rubble in scenic Pacific Palisades. Only the outlines of homes and their chimneys remained. In Malibu, blackened palm strands were all that was left above debris where oceanfront homes once stood, reports the AP.
At least five churches, a synagogue, seven schools, two libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and groceries burned. The Will Rogers’ western ranch house and Topanga Ranch motel, local landmarks dating to the 1920s also burned. The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage or specifics about how many structures burned.
Updated
20 people arrested since fires broke out, says LA county sheriff
Around 20 people have been arrested in disaster zones since the first fires broke out on Tuesday, Los Angeles county sheriff Robert Luna said, amid reports of looting.
Luna has pledged to beef up patrols and said his officers - who are soon to be backed up by California National Guard soldiers - will be proactively stopping anyone they see in an evacuation area.
“When we have an evacuation order by law, if you remain in that area, you are guilty of a misdemeanor. If you commit certain crimes, it could jump up to a felony,” he said.
“If you are in one of these areas and you do not belong there, you are going to be subject to arrest.”
Curfew planned amid reports of looting, says Los Angeles country sheriff
Amid reports of looting, Los Angeles county sheriff, Robert Luna, said a nighttime curfew was planned, and the state’s National Guard was on hand to patrol affected areas.
Governor Gavin Newsom said the service members were part of a thousands-strong deployment of state personnel.
“We’re throwing everything at our disposal - including our National Guard service members - to protect communities in the days to come,” he said.
“And to those who would seek to take advantage of evacuated communities, let me be clear: looting will not be tolerated.”
But with such a huge area scorched by the fires, some evacuees feared not enough was being done and some were taking matters into their own hands, according to a report from Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Nicholas Norman mounted an armed vigil at his home after seeing suspicious characters in the middle of the night.
“I did the classic American thing: I went and got my shotgun and I sat out there, and put a light on so they knew people were there,” he told AFP.
The Los Angeles Animal Services has said its six shelters are “extremely full” looking after 1,500 animals, while the county’s animal control manager Christopher Valles told USA Today that all seven of its care centres are near capacity. The organisations are urging the public to foster if they can.
Animal shelter Pasadena Humane says it has provided aid to over 300 animals in less than 24 hours. The shelter wrote on social media that many animals were presenting with burns and injuries – including one dog was coated in ash, with ulcers in her eyes from smoke exposure.
A list of emergency animal shelters can be found here.
Stephane Eyes, a senior wildlife biologist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, noted in October 2022 that wildlife will avoid smoke and actively burning areas until its safe to return.
“Wildlife is incredibly resilient,” Eyes said, noting that “California has a long history with wildfire, and many species adapted to endure it.”
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Palisades fire – pictures
Of five wildfires currently burning in Los Angeles, officials say the Palisades Fire is among the least contained.
Here is an aerial view of the area.
Officials say the fire is only 6% contained and is 19,978 acres.
Homes reduced to ash along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Updated
A summary of recent updates issued by authorities and California governor Gavin Newsom:
Palisades fire is 19,978 acres and 6% contained
Eaton fire is 13,690 acres and 0% contained
Kenneth fire is 1000 acres and 35% contained
Hurst fire is 771 acres and 37% contained
Lidia fire is 348 acres and 60% contained
Updated
The Kenneth fire is now 35% contained, according to a social media post by California governor Gavin Newsom:
The #KennethFire is 1,000 acres and now 35% contained. The forward rate of spread has been stopped.
Grateful for the heroic firefighters from Los Angeles and Ventura counties who are actively engaged on the scene, deploying both ground crews and aerial resources.
Some recent photos from the Eaton, Palisades and Kenneth fires.
Updated
An update on the Hurst fire from the US forest service has increased the acreage burned to 771 and is 37% contained.
477 personnel were assigned to the fire.
Death toll from wildfires rises to 10
The death toll from wildfires in Los Angeles has risen to 10 from seven, Los Angeles County’s Medical Examiner said. All cases are currently pending identification and legal next of kin notification.
Update on Eaton fire
Officials have issued an update on the Eaton fire, near Pasadena, which started on Tuesday evening and has burned through 13,690 acres and remained 0% contained.
Five civilian deaths have been confirmed in the incident.
The statement said 1,396 personnel were responding to the fire.
Damage assessments have now verified that 972 structures had been destroyed and a further 84 damaged. Although preliminary estimates suggest the number destroyed could be as high as 4000 - 5000 structures.
Critical fire weather conditions will continue across the area until at least Friday evening. Winds will likely vary significantly between higher terrain and the lower elevations of the fire, as the area is sheltered from the northeast. There is a chance of critical fire weather conditions developing this weekend and early next week.
Updated
Forward progress of the Kenneth fire halted
Forward progress of the Kenneth fire has been stopped, according to a social media post by the Ventura County fire department, and reported by NBC News.
The fire was sparked around 3:34pm and quickly ballooned to 960 acres
Forward progress of the Kenneth fire has been stopped, and the fire is currently holding at 960 acres with 0% containment.
Approximately 400 firefighters will remain on scene through the night, continuing to provide structure protection and knock down hot spots.
There are no reported structures damaged or destroyed. All evacuation orders in Los Angeles County have been reduced to evacuation warnings. Evacuation warnings issued in Ventura County have been lifted.
Updated
As wildfires spread across Los Angeles in the middle of winter, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service confirms global temperatures eclipsed the 1.5C warming barrier for the first time.
As Damian Carrington explains:
The average temperature in 2024 was 1.6C above preindustrial levels, data from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) shows. That is a jump of 0.1C from 2023, which was also a record hot year and represents levels of heat never experienced by modern humans.
In Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood, street after street is laden with carnage that tells part of the story of the ferocious firestorm that swept through the area over the last two days.
Buckled trees and telephone poles are strewn across roads, their piled branches and hanging wires a testimony to the winds that whipped the flames. Intersections are flooded with water, even after the loss of water pressure hampered efforts during the harrowing firefight. Mansions lining the yellow beaches hollowed out, homes in the neighborhoods’ canyons reduced to dust.
The Los Angeles Police Department said a man has been taken into custody on suspicion of arson, after receiving a radio call that the man was “attempting to light a fire” in the Woodlands Hills area, according to the LA Times. A spokesperson said:
We are continuing our investigation, and we CANNOT confirm any connection to any fire by this suspect at this time.
Before and after: satellite images of fires show devastation
Seven people were killed, more than 10,000 structures destroyed and at least 180,000 residents ordered to evacuate in California as fast-moving wildfires burned around Los Angeles, encircling the city.
On Tuesday, hurricane-force winds blew embers through the air, igniting block after block and destroying an area of land about 45 square miles (117 sq km) over the following days. As of late Thursday, five fires were still raging around Los Angeles, three of them completely uncontrolled.
Satellite images showed the scale of the destruction from the Pacific Palisades fire, which left the coastline along the famous Malibu neighbourhood scorched black and buildings along the water burned to the ground.
Updated
More than 8,000 personnel and 600 members of the California National Guard were now battling the Los Angeles fires, according to California governor Gavin Newsom.
They were being assisted by 991 fire trucks and 40 helicopters.
Newsom also recently provided an update on the Hurst fire, which he said was now 37% contained, in a post to social media on Thursday evening.
Opening summary
Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of the wildfires in California, where some of the worst blazes in the region’s history have ravaged homes and reduced entire neighbourhoods to ash. I’m Petra Stock.
It’s approaching 8pm in Los Angeles and here is a recap of what you need to know.
There are five wildfires currently raging in Los Angeles county, they include:
The Palisades fire, at 19,978 acres and 6% containment
The Eaton fire, at 13,690 acres and 0% containment
The Kenneth fire, at 960 acres and 0% containment
The Hurst fire, at 671 acres and 10% containment
The Lidia fire, at 348 acres and 60% containment
As we settle in for the third night since wildfires broke out in southern California, here are the top developments of the day:
Seven people have died, and more than 10,000 structures have burned, in the Palisades and Eaton fires. Five deaths have been confirmed in the Eaton fire and two in the Palisades. The Palisades fire, which had remained 0% contained since it broke out Tuesday, was 6% contained by 6pm Thursday.
A new fire, now called the Kenneth fire, sparked around 3:34pm and quickly ballooned to 960 acres.
President Joe Biden has announced that the federal government would pay for 100% of the firefighting needs for the next 180 days.
Law enforcement officials are working to issue a curfew for affected burn zones in Los Angeles, in order to combat looting, though it is unclear when it will go into effect.
Vice-president Kamala Harris canceled a trip to Singapore, Bahrain and Germany shortly after President Biden canceled a trip to Italy in order to more closely monitor the fires.
The California prison system has now deployed nearly 800 incarcerated firefighters to fight the devastating blazes.
