Heartbreak and destruction rain down in Altadena
Part of a home collapsed during a live report, an in-the-moment example of the wreckage that has engulfed this town.
Gusting winds of up to 100 mph make it feel like a hurricane in a city. Instead of wind, it's fire you have to worry about.
And because of that combination, the extent of the damage to the community, which was hit “hard and fast,” will be devastating.
The stress firefighters are experiencing is substantial. They are trying to save more structures, which could lead to more embers, which could lead to more fires, which lead to more tears.
Pico Rivera offers free emergency shelter for large livestock
Owners of horses and other large livestock can take their animals to the Pico Rivera Sports Arena for free emergency shelter, the city announced today.
The city said owners can take their animals to the arena at any time and someone will be there to assist them.
Pico Rivera is on the southern edge of the San Gabriel Valley, where the Eaton Fire is burning in the Pasadena and Altadena area, north of the city. The sports arena, on Pico Rivera’s northeast edge, is known for its concerts, rodeos and other Hispanic cultural events.
“The Pico Rivera Sports Arena is uniquely equipped to provide safe, secure and accessible boarding for horses and other large animals,” Mayor John Garcia said in a statement. “It gives families peace of mind as they prioritize their safety and recovery.”
Three Los Angeles schools suffer ‘significant damage’ in Palisades Fire
Three schools suffered “significant damage” in the Palisades Fire, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles school district said.
Palisades Charter High School, Palisades Charter Elementary School and Marquez Elementary School were all damaged, the spokesperson for Los Angeles Unified School District said.
NBC Los Angeles recorded the scene as flames roared from multiple structures at Palisades Charter High School last night.
“We are currently working with local authorities and emergency response teams to assess the situation and determine next steps. Plans are being developed to minimize disruption to instruction,” the school district spokesperson said in an email.
Low water pressure, out-of-service hydrants complicate fight against Eaton Fire
Firefighters battling the Eaton Fire, which is burning homes in the Altadena area, say they are having issues with hydrants or low water pressure at hydrants.
“Right now, we’re finding most of them are down or low-pressure, and we’re having to commit resources to provide water,” Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Josh DeJournett said as they worked to combat a fire at a home today.
“If we had a hydrant for this building, we might have been able to save the back half,” he said.
There have been issues with water pressure in fighting the Palisades Fire, burning on the other side of Los Angeles County by the Pacific Ocean, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
Fire spokesperson Erik Scott said fire crews on that fire did have problems with water.
“Water availability was impacted at higher elevations, which affected some fire hydrants due to limited replenishment of water tanks in those areas,” Scott wrote on X today. “The extreme demand caused a slower refill rate for these tanks which created a challenge for our firefighting effort.”
Airbnb and 211 L.A. offering free temporary housing
Airbnb is working with 211 L.A. to offer free temporary housing for people affected by the wildfires and forced to evacuate their homes.
The company said all stays will be fully funded by Airbnb and the guests who are offering their homes.
To be eligible, you must have been displaced from your home, you must live in an evacuation zone, you must have an active Airbnb account, and you must be 18 years old.
More information on the program can be found here.
'It’s just gone:' Altadena family's beloved longtime home burns
Jennifer Schweitzer had to pull her husband away from staring at the burning Altadena home he had loved and lived in for decades. But even then, the two couldn’t bear to go too far away.
“We didn’t even leave,” she told NBC Los Angeles reporter Lolita Lopez. The couple moved to the parking lot of a nearby supermarket, hoping for the best.
“It’s gonna pass. We’re gonna still have our home,” she said she recalled thinking. But fierce winds pushed them farther away from the home her husband, 49, grew up in and inherited once his father died.
As flames further engulfed the home that the couple raised their own children in, Schweitzer and her husband relocated to another parking lot that was still close by.
“We still could not leave,” Schweitzer said. “You know that’s — that’s our home.”
Schweitzer said that they tried to hose their house down before they left but that their efforts did not stand a chance against the sheer destruction of the Eaton fire.
“It’s gone,” she said in tears. "It's all we've got."
Within minutes, Schweitzer said, the fire also destroyed their children's school, their neighborhood park and as their local post office, smoke shop and hamburger stand.
Now, at the Pasadena Convention Center, a stunned Schweitzer is waiting for more resources and guidance from officials about what to do next.
“I’m hoping I just wake up and it’s a dream,” she said.
NFL monitoring wildfires ahead of Rams-Vikings playoff game
The NFL is monitoring wildfires in Southern California as the wildcard playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams is scheduled for Monday night.
The playoff game is slated for 8 p.m. at the Rams’ home field, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
“The NFL continues to closely monitor developments in the area and will remain in contact with both clubs and the NFLPA,” the league said in a statement.
However, the NFL added, if the game has to be relocated, it will be moved to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The stadium is home to the Arizona Cardinals.
The NFL also said the league’s “priority is the safety of the Los Angeles community. We are grateful for the tireless efforts of the first responders. Our hearts are with Los Angeles and everyone affected by the fires.”
The Rams posted today on X about the wildfires.
“Our hearts are with those affected by the Eaton Fire in Altadena/Pasadena and the first responders in our community. Be safe,” the team said.
The Vikings responded to the Rams’ post with one of their own, saying, “We’re thinking of our Rams friends, their community and the first responders during this time.”
Topanga Canyon rabbi scrambled to save Torah scrolls before evacuating
Mendy Piekarski, a rabbi at a Chabad Lubavitch synagogue and cultural center in Topanga Canyon, rushed to evacuate people from the facility today.
He and his colleagues called the parents of 25 preschool students there, and within an hour, all the kids had been picked up and driven out of the evacuation zone.
Piekarski, 27, said he and his wife loaded the Chabad’s sacred Torah scrolls into their car before they left the building, wrapping the bundles of parchment in tallit, a fringed garment worn as a prayer shawl.
“We cherish them very much, and they’re very valuable, so we made sure to bring them to a safe location outside Topanga,” he said. “We would have loved to take other holy objects, like prayer books, though we didn’t have enough time. It was about taking the most important things: our family and the Torah scrolls.
“Of course, it would have been nice to also take some photo albums and pictures,” he added. “But safety is the main thing.”
Head of FEMA calls wildfires 'dynamic,' says she will assess damage
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell called the roaring wildfires in the Los Angeles area a “very dynamic and dangerous situation” and said she would be in Southern California on Friday to assess the damage.
She told Nicolle Wallace on “Deadline: White House” that authorities are trying to determine what the “maximum impact” could be to get victims of the wildfires the resources they need.
Criswell compared the wildfires in Southern California to the 2023 wildfires in Maui that killed more than 100 and destroyed the former capital of the kingdom of Hawaii. Criswell said resources provided to California may end up topping resources provided to Hawaiians affected by the wildfires.
She reflected on a recent trip to Maui to check the recovery status and said temporary schools and housing have been set up.
"Those are the types of things that we’re going to have to do here, maybe even on a grander scale than what we saw in Maui. But we just don’t know yet," she said.
Criswell also urged affected residents to lean on the government and their neighbors, assuring them these dark days will pass.
"They can rely on their federal government to come in and support them. They can rely on their neighbors, their friends to help them. There are resources that are out there, whether it’s the federal government and our nonprofit or churches," she said. "We are going to bring all of these together to help you through this."
5 dead in Eaton Fire
The number of people killed in the Eaton Fire has risen to five, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Additional details about the deaths were not immediately available.
Earlier today, officials said the blaze had killed two people.
The Eaton Fire has burned about 10,600 acres since it started yesterday and is 0% contained, according to Cal Fire.