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What we know about the California wildfires
- Fierce wildfires burning out of control in the greater Los Angeles area have killed at least 10 people and forced nearly 180,000 more from their homes. Authorities said the total number of deaths is unknown.
- Dry conditions and powerful winds sparked at least five fires, causing unprecedented scenes in areas not known for fires.
- The Palisades Fire has burned through more than 19,900 acres and has destroyed an estimated 5,000 structures. It was 6% contained tonight.
- A new brush fire, the Kenneth Fire, emerged this afternoon in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles, near the Calabasas neighborhood, prompting more evacuations. Evacuation orders were later downgraded, and forward progress of the fire was stopped, officials said.
- An evacuation alert was sent in error to the phones of nearly 10 million L.A.-area residents, a mistake likely to have caused panic and fear for many far from the threatened area.
Lidia Fire burning in Acton has 75% containment
Firefighters battling the Lidia Fire, burning between two mountain ranges near the community of Acton, reached 75% containment on the blaze today, officials said.
The fire, which broke out yesterday, is about 394 acres. “Firefighters are making great progress with aircraft support,” the U.S. Forest Service said.
Jamie Lee Curtis pledges $1 million to fire relief efforts
Actor Jamie Lee Curtis shared in an Instagram post that she and her family plan to donate $1 million to relief efforts, adding that she's been in touch with Gov. Gavin Newsom's office, as well as Mayor Karen Bass and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
"As the fire still rages on and @calfire @losangelesfiredepartment and all the available first responders and agencies involved in fighting fire and saving lives are still hard at work and neighbors and friends are banding together to save each other, my husband and I and our children have pledged $1 million from our Family Foundation to start a fund of support for our great city and state and the great people who live and love there," she wrote in the post.
The actress and producer, who is married to screenwriter Christopher Guest, got emotional talking about her Pacific Palisades neighborhood earlier this week during an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." She encouraged others to help.
“Do anything you can,” she said on the show. “Anything in your community to help people. Whether you need it or not now, you will need it. Give blood, donate, whatever you can do.”
Altadena residents face devastating loss from L.A. wildfires
Some returned to their homes to find nothing left after they were destroyed by the Los Angeles wildfires.
"Now we're just trying to find something," a resident said as he and his family searched the rubble of their home for anything that might have escaped the flames.
10 dead in Los Angeles County wildfires
At least 10 people have died in the fires that have swept across Los Angeles County, the medical examiner's office said tonight.
The remains are pending identification and notification of next of kin.
The process to identify the people who died could take several weeks "as the Department of Medical Examiner is not able to respond to all death locations due to the fire conditions and safety concerns," the office said.
Officials said earlier today that two people had died in the Palisades Fire and four in the Eaton Fire. It was not immediately clear whether those six were among the 10 released by the medical examiner's office.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna has cautioned that the fires are still burning and that information is fluid, and officials don't know yet how many people may have died. An exact number of deaths won't be known until homicide investigation teams can access the areas, he said.
Pacific Palisades leader says community will figure out a way forward
Sue Kohl, president of the Pacific Palisades Community Council, said she believes her neighbors will want to restore their fire-ravaged community.
"To get this community back up and running, I think everybody has the will," Kohl said. "We just need to figure out the way."
Kohl said the community will need all hands on deck, as well as help from the city, state and federal governments.
"We just ask for prayers and support from everybody, really. We have to figure out a way," Kohl said.
Among the Pacific Palisades 'war zone,' one resident gets good news
Longtime Pacific Palisades resident Marika Erdely, the CEO of Green Econome, an energy sustainability company, received remarkable news today: Her home on Wakecrest Drive was still standing.
Through the Ring security camera in the back of the house, she could see yesterday that the structure seemed intact, although fires were ablaze at homes on either side of hers. Erdely received confirmation today that her place had had not been burned down.
“Just amazing,” Erdely said from her daughter’s home in Santa Monica. She was grateful, but not celebrating. “It’s just horrible. My street and the other houses are gone. Two of my best friends in the neighborhood homes are gone. Almost all the homes on my street are gone. A war zone.”
She held out hope yesterday that the raging fires would somehow bypass her property. The fact that it did not suffer major damage is astounding, she said.
“It’s really unbelievable, surreal,” she added.
Erdely said her community of 400 homes, most built in the 1960s, was special. “It’s an incredible neighborhood on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. ... You don’t leave this neighborhood unless you divorce or you die. Everyone knows everyone."
Drone video shows devastating damage of Palisades Fire in Southern California
As crews continue to battle the deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles County, the scope of its destruction is coming into focus two days after the massive blaze first ignited.
Drone video shows a neighborhood turned to rubble, with street after street of homes and buildings reduced to ash.
Smoke hangs above the area, once lined with mansions and home to some of the country’s most elite.
Forward progress of Kenneth Fire is stopped
Firefighters have stopped the forward progress of the Kenneth Fire, which broke out in Los Angeles this afternoon and then grew to more than 900 acres and into Ventura County, the fire department there said.
There had been mandatory evacuation orders due to the fire, which grew in size because of winds, but all of those have been reduced to evacuation warnings, officials said.
The fire broke out around 2:40 p.m. in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, which is near the Ventura County line.
Los Angeles has been gripped by dry conditions that are creating a risk for fires. Several large fires are burning in the city and the region.
Wind forecast keeps fire risk high across Southern California
Winds picked up again today, making for challenging firefighting conditions. The combination of strong winds and low humidity kept the critical fire risk high across Southern California.
Winds are expected to increase across the region tonight, according to the Los Angeles office of the National Weather Service. Red flag warnings remain in effect across parts of Southern California through tomorrow.
"Moderate to strong Santa Ana winds tonight, keeping the fire weather threat in the area focused on LA and Ventura Co into Friday morning," the weather service wrote on X. "The threat doesn't end after Friday however. Offshore winds will continue into early next week, peaking Sun and Tues/Wed."
Parts of Riverside and San Diego counties are also at heightened risk of wildfires tomorrow, the weather service said. Winds with localized gusts up to around 60 mph are likely tomorrow, and conditions are expected to be "very dry," making for dangerous conditions that could support wildfire ignitions and rapid spread.
‘You should not be outside’ because of air quality, doctor warns
Air quality is a problem across much of the Los Angeles area, prompting school districts to cancel classes tomorrow.
Sylvia Kotikian, ER medical director for Adventist Health Glendale, warns residents about staying aware and what to do to stay safe.