01-10-2025, 2:15 PM

At least 10 people have died in wildfires in Los Angeles

Wildfires in Los Angeles / Video Screenshot

At least ten people have died in wildfires raging throughout the greater Los Angeles region, county officials reported Wednesday night, as personnel continue to combat the fires that have scorched thousands of acres and caused almost 180,000 people to flee their homes.

The Palisades Fire has burned more than 20,000 acres and is 8% controlled, according to Cal Fire. It has destroyed almost 5,300 buildings, the third-highest total in state history.

The Eaton Fire has burned more than 4,000 buildings, the fourth-highest number in state history. According to fire authorities, the fire is 3% controlled and has scorched more than 13,600 acres so far. Several organizations are responding, with resources from Canada scheduled to arrive today, according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.

This fire, which is raging over the West Hills of Los Angeles County and adjacent Ventura County, is 35% controlled, according to officials. Cal Fire reports that it has burnt around 1,000 acres thus far. California Governor Gavin Newsom said in the early hours of Friday that 900 more firefighters had been dispatched to attack the flames.

Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles says President Joe Biden and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have agreed to cover disaster assistance spending. According to Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang, at least 10,000 properties have been destroyed, with hundreds more expected to be discovered in the following days.

The Pentagon said that more than 600 California National Guardsmen are aiding with the fire response in California. On Thursday night, National Guard men had already been dispatched to the region surrounding the Eaton fire. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said a curfew remains in effect for the Palisades and Eaton fire regions as well as all mandatory evacuation zones from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time.

Los Angeles County is attempting to resolve an issue that resulted in homeowners getting evacuation alerts in mistake yesterday, according to Office of Emergency Management Director Kevin McGowan. He said that the notifications are issued via a wireless technology and asked people not to disable the emergency messages.

Winds in the fire zone are forecast to continue to gust until Friday afternoon. According to the National Weather Service in Los Angeles, offshore winds will persist throughout next week, peaking on Sunday and again on Tuesday or Wednesday. Strong winds have caused the flames to grow swiftly, complicating firefighting efforts, particularly in the skies.

A fresh brush fire started yesterday afternoon. The Kenneth Fire in Los Angeles' West Hills rose to almost 900 acres, but workers were able to halt its spread. It was 35% contained as of last night. The Lidia Fire in Acton is approximately 394 acres and reached 75% containment Thursday night. And the Sunset Fire, which broke out in Runyon Canyon on Wednesday night, has been completely controlled.

Strong Santa Ana winds have ramped up again and are forecast to sweep through today, with red flag warnings continuing in force throughout Southern California. The mix of high winds and low humidity may complicate the combat.

According to Myron R. Johnson, assistant sheriff for patrol operations at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, about 166,800 Los Angeles County residents are still under evacuation alerts.

Johnson said that 100,053 people are currently under evacuation orders. The flames pose a risk to about 57,830 buildings.

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