Gov. Newsom: Palisades Fire is 'stunning'
California Gov. Gavin Newsom told NBC News the closest thing he's seen to the fires blazing in his state was the deadly fire in Paradise, but at this stage, just 24 hours in, he said he's never seen anything like this, in size and scope.
"It's stunning. Nothing comes close," he said.
Newsom said they'll need to start focusing on clean-up efforts soon, but said right now "it's about keeping people safe, making sure people are heeding the evacuation orders."
He said the Palisades Fire is 0% contained and noted the "great challenge" intense winds are bringing to fighting the fires.
Newsom said they were as prepared as they could be. On Sunday night, he directed 110 fire engines to the area of the Palisades Fire, in addition to water tenders and helicopters among other firefighting resources.
Despite that, the governor thinks this could be one of the costliest fires in history, something he said he was discussing with President Joe Biden today, pointing to the complexities of the multiple fires, the wind and humidity forecast, and that they have pulled resources from not only around California but from other states as well.
"I think that says everything there is to know about the magnitude of it," Newsom said.
More than 1.5 million customers without power in Southern California
More than 1.5 million customers are without power in Southern California as wildfires burn throughout the Los Angeles area, according to PowerOutage.us.
The outage numbers leapt from the 400,000 without power about two hours prior.
In Los Angeles County alone, about 957,000 customers were without electricity, according to the site.
Los Angeles restaurants offer firefighter meals
A handful of L.A. restaurants are preparing food for first responders in an effort to help the community amid the devastating fires.
Yeastie Boys Bagels, a popular food truck known for its New York-style bagels, posted that it is going to evacuation centers in Pasadena, Pacoima, Westwood and downtown Los Angeles to provide meals. The business posted a series of images of people receiving the food.
Jon & Vinnys, another L.A. staple, wrote a note on Instagram saying it is "working on ways to support you, our amazing first responders and the broader community."
"At this time, all our restaurant locations are open for those seeking refuge and regular dine-ins," the Italian restaurant wrote in its post. "Wait times may be a bit longer (only a bit!) as some of our teams are preparing food for first responders."
Le Great Outdoor, a restaurant in Santa Monica, wrote on its Instagram story that today it is "focusing on helping fire fighters and first responders." The business asked people to purchase a firefighter meal on the restaurant website, noting that for every meal purchased, the restaurant will provide an additional meal.
Los Angeles fire captain details ‘strain’ on city’s water system
The Palisades Fire put a serious “strain” on the city’s water system after three million gallons were used in just 15 hours, according to officials.
Sheila Kelliher, captain of the Los Angeles Fire Department, detailed the challenges of putting out the fires and explained how the department decides to deploy resources.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab closed due to Eaton Fire
The NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, managed by CalTech and located in La Cañada Flintridge, will be closed to employees and visitors until Monday, according to to the lab's emergency website.
Deep Space Network operations normally conducted at JPL have been moved offsite to a backup operations center. A "small number" of critical personnel remained on site this morning.
Although the lab has sustained some wind damage, there are no damages as a result of the ongoing fires, JPL Director Laurie Leshin said in a post on X.
Los Angeles Kings home game postponed due to fires
The Los Angeles Kings home game against the Calgary Flames scheduled for tonight has been postponed, the NHL team said, as fires in the region continue to burn amid high winds.
“Our hearts are with the entire Los Angeles community,” the team said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working First Responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community.”
A new date was not announced. Tickets for tonight’s game will be valid for the rescheduled game, the team said.
Biden signs major disaster declaration, clearing way for federal resources
President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for California that will clear the way for federal funds and resources to be accessed in recovery efforts, according to the White House.
The declaration will allow "survivors to immediately access funds and resources to jumpstart their recovery," a White House statement said.
Biden is "focused on mobilizing life-saving and life-sustaining resources across the region," the statement added, as the president is "praying for those who lost loved ones, had property damaged, were injured, and for everyone affected by this and other devastating fires in the area."
Alongside the president's declaration, FEMA has approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant to reimburse California for its firefighting costs overnight.
The administration also said that five large air tankers, 10 federal firefighting helicopters and dozens of fire engines from the U.S. Forest Service are being deployed to the efforts in the state.
Four Modular Air Firefighting System (MAFFS) are on their way from the Department of Defense, along with 10 Navy helicopters with water delivery buckets to assist with aerial suppression, the statement added. The resources will add to the two Modular Air Firefighting System units coming from the California National Guard, which expects another two to be on the way from Nevada's National Guard.
Video shows grounds of historic Villa de Leon caught on fire
Startling video captured the grounds of the Villa de Leon on fire. The historic mansion has been featured in many high-profile music videos and commercials. The mansion is located near the Getty Villa, an educational center and art museum housing a vast collection of Ancient Greek and Roman works and artifacts.
States around the country deploy resources to California
During a briefing today with President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Tony Marrone announced that states including Arizona, Nevada and Washington are deploying their resources to assist.
"We requested 250 additional engines into L.A. County with 1,000 personnel. We also are using our compacts with other states like Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Firefighters from those regions are on their way down to Los Angeles County right now to assist us," he said.
The Oregon Fire Marshall also posted that they have mobilized 12 strike teams from the Oregon fire service to the wildfires. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also shared that he has offered to send resources from his state, which he shared on X.
"When disaster strikes, we must come together to help our fellow Americans in any way we can. The state of Florida has offered help to assist the people of California in responding to these fires and in rebuilding communities that have been devastated," he wrote.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also shared that her state is ready to deploy resources if they are needed, saying she has been in touch with the state of California. She also called the wildfires "horrific" and said they are "praying for all who are impacted."
Biden calls California fires 'astounding' during briefing with local officials
At a briefing at a Santa Monica firehouse this afternoon, President Joe Biden called the ongoing wildfires in Southern California "astounding."
"We're prepared to [do] anything and everything as long as it takes to contain these fires and help reconstruct, make sure that we get back to normal," the president said at the briefing.
Biden said that he plans to sign a declaration today to "provide for everything the federal government can do," adding that he's directed the Department of Defense to "rapidly provide additional firefighting personnel and capabilities."
"It's going to be a hell of a long way. It's going to take time, federal government is here to stay, as long as it needs," he added.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who attended the briefing, told the president he had "next level appreciation" for the federal support.