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What to know about California's wildfires
- Santa Ana winds have died down across the Greater Los Angeles area, helping firefighters bring almost 40,000 acres of ongoing wildfires under control.
- The fires have killed at least 27 people and swept through residential communities, destroying more than 12,300 structures and forcing thousands of people to evacuate. See maps of the fire areas and evacuation zones.
- The causes of the fires remain unknown, but investigators are focusing on a specific scorched slope to discover the origins of the largest blaze, the Palisades Fire. The Palisades Fire is 27% contained, and the Eaton Fire is 55% contained.
- Attention has already turned to the vast cleanup and restoration effort that will follow, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom promising a Marshall Plan-style rebuilding effort that could cost tens of billions of dollars.
- Dangerous fire conditions are expected to return next week, the National Weather Service warned.
Wildfires devastate working-class families, destroying homes and livelihoods
For years, Aurys Hernandez worked alongside her mother, who two decades ago started the family’s day care business in their home in Altadena. It only took hours for the wildfires that leveled entire Los Angeles-area communities last week to consume their home and their livelihood.
The blazes destroyed the remodeled garage where they had their licensed child care business. Gone is the brightly lit room where 12 to 15 children from mostly working-class families from Altadena and Pasadena played with multicolored toys and filled out worksheets. The photos of kids that adorned the walls are now cinders.
“In three hours, everything’s gone. Our house, our homes, our job, everything,” said Hernandez, 45.
Along with mansions and wealthy enclaves, California’s still-raging wildfires have charred communities of working-class families and turned them to ash. The merciless flames left gardeners, caregivers, domestic workers, child care providers and others without the tools needed to do their jobs. The conflagration wiped out the businesses where they worked and the homes of many employers and clients.
Science teacher’s little engine could help residents save their homes
As the wildfires raged, a high school science teacher came up with an innovative solution using a small engine that taps water from people’s pools. It could help save homes from future wildfires.
Altadena man’s case highlights desperate search for missing loved ones
Search-and-rescue crews continue to check on missing people reports and addresses where people were last seen before brush fires broke out in Los Angeles County.
It’s a painstaking process that has many families waiting for answers while others receive tragic news as the county medical examiner’s office releases updates on the death toll. Among those who are waiting to hear about a missing loved one are the relatives of Kevin Devine, 54.
Devine is a substitute teacher who lives on Boston Street in Altadena. His home burned down in the Eaton Fire, and he hasn’t been in contact with his family since the blaze broke out.
Devine’s relatives live out of state and have enlisted Meredith Anderson to help in their search. She said she once lived next door to Devine’s property and is connected to the neighborhood because her brother and her cousin live in her former home. She was one of the first people the missing family found when they could not reach him.
“They had no contacts for anyone local,” Anderson said. “They don’t live in state, so his best friend of 30 years started Googling all the addresses around his address and found my phone number because I lived there for many years.”
Landslides are a growing concern
As firefighters continue to make progress on the fires burning in Southern California, the threat of landslides is becoming a growing risk in areas where vegetation was destroyed.
After losing homes, some Angelenos call for accountability from ‘big oil’
Several people who lost family homes during the Los Angeles area fires directed their ire — and blame — at “big oil” companies at a news conference this afternoon held by Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group.
Climate scientists have said climate change and the associated whiplash between extreme wet and dry seasons are raising the probability that fearsome seasonal winds will overlap with hot, dry conditions and heavy fuels.
States and municipalities have sued oil companies, seeking accountability for the consequences of climate change, often alleging that they lied about the harms their products could cause.
During the news conference, several people described how the fires had affected their families and asked public officials to hold oil companies to account.
Sam James said five generations of her family grew up in Altadena, with ties to the region since the 1890s. Her grandfather’s home burned down, and her father’s backyard was also burned, she said.
“We are working to help fire survivors heal and rebuild in our community. However, this is not our responsibility, and it should not continuously fall on us to address the consequences of big oil’s negligence,” James said. “They must take responsibility for the harm that they’ve caused, pay reparations to the affected communities who lost their homes and businesses and take immediate steps to mitigate further damage.”
Danielle Levanas said the family home she grew up in was burned down in the Palisades Fire and her family lost all their photos from before 2008.
“Climate change and the impact of fossil fuel companies have truly upended our lives,” she said. “The disasters we’re seeing today are not natural. They are crimes.”
California’s insurer of last resort faces potential shortfalls
FAIR Plan, the California insurer of last resort, faces potential shortfalls as those who suffered losses in the wildfires file claims.
Based on a bulletin the state’s insurance commissioner issued in September, FAIR Plan policy holders may have to help pay for some of the losses beyond what the plan can cover.
Golf tournament hosted by Tiger Woods to be moved after fires
The PGA Tour said today that next month’s Genesis Invitational 2025, a tournament hosted by Tiger Woods, will be played at an alternative location after the Palisades Fire.
The tournament was to have taken place at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades beginning Feb. 10.
“The PGA TOUR’s focus continues to be on the safety and well-being of those affected by the unprecedented natural disaster in Greater Los Angeles,” the organization said in a statement.
“In collaboration with Genesis, The Riviera Country Club and TGR Live, and out of respect for the unfolding situation, we have determined that The Genesis Invitational 2025 will be played at an alternate location the week of Feb. 10-16,” it said.
“A venue update and additional tournament information will be provided in the coming days,” the PGA Tour said.
Taylor Swift lists organizations for fans to consider donating to
Pop star Taylor Swift shared a list of organizations that she said she has donated to to help communities rebuild in the wake of the wildfires, encouraging her nearly 300 million Instagram followers to consider donating, as well.
"The fires in California have devastated so many families and it's heartbreaking to see these stories unfold," Swift wrote in an Instagram story. "So much suffering, loss, and destruction."
She listed a number of organizations, including the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, MusiCares and the Pasadena Educational Foundation Eaton Fire Respond Fund.
Swift described her list as some of the groups that are helping as people "embark on some of the most challenging times of their lives."
Residents will be able to return to some areas affected by the Palisades Fire
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced today that residents will be allowed to return to certain zones affected by the Palisades Fire.
They include:
- Zone TOP-U001: North of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and south of Mulholland Drive
- Zone TOP-U002: North of Old Topanga Canyon Road and south of Summit to Summit Motorway
- Zone DRY-U026-A: North of Mulholland Highway and south of Stokes Canyon Road
- Zone RRC-U027-A: North of Red Rock Road and south of Calabasas Peak Motorway
How the wildfires in California are affecting kids’ mental health
Dr. Irwin Redlender, the founding director of the Center for Disaster Preparedness, joins Chris Jansing to discuss the mental health impact of the wildfires on kids living in California.