East County News Service
January 8, 2025 (Los Angeles) – No, that’s not a tornado or mother ship descending. Henri Migala snapped this apocalyptic image of the Palisades Fire which is devastating Los Angeles. This photo was taken from the Westin Hotel near Los Angeles International Airport. As of today, the fire has burned 15,832 acres, has destroyed many homes and forced evacuation of some 70,000 residents in several communities including Pacific Palisades, Topanga, Malibu, and Santa Monica. It remains zero percent contained.
Anyone in the path of this fire is urged to evacuate. High winds grounded firefighting aircraft last night and some hydrants ran out of water, leaving firefighters without the means to halt the destructive blaze which has burned all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
January 8, 2025 (San Diego's East County) -- The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for San Diego County mountains and valleys today and tomorrow due to high winds and extreme fire danger. The strong winds that have fueled two large wildfires decimating Los Angeles County are forecast to move into San Diego County next.
This is the driest winter period measured from October 1 through January 8 since 1850, according to the National Weather Service, increasing fire danger.
Due to high winds and potential power outages, schools in six local districts will be closed today. The San Diego County Office of Education announced the closures for:
- Julian Union Elementary School District
- Julian Union High School District
- Mountain Empire Unified School District
- Ramona Unified School District
- Spencer Valley School District
- Warner Unified School District
“The safety of students and school staff is of the utmost importance to San Diego County school districts,” officials said in a news release.
In Los Angeles County, devastating fires have collectively destroyed over 1,000 homes and two people have died, the Los Angeles Times reports.
By Miriam Raftery
Photo by Henri Migala
January 7, 2025 (Los Angeles) – The fast-moving Palisades Fire has burned 2,921 acres as of tonight, according to Cal Fire. The wildfire that began around 10:30 a.m. in Pacific Palisades has now forced evacuation of approximately 10,000 residents from 30,000 homes in Malibu, Topanga and Pacific Palisades, also forcing closure of portions of Pacific Coast Highway.
The fire is expected to worsen overnight, with extremely dangerous winds up to 100 miles per hour possible, the National Weather Service predicts. Already, gusts up to 70 miles per hour have fueled the conflagration. Wind speeds are expected to peak tomorrow, though strong winds are forecast through Friday.
Both Governor Gavin Newsom and the City of Los Angeles have issued emergency declarations. “This is a highly dangerous windstorm that’s creating extreme fire risk—and we’re not out of the woods,” Newsom said.
As CAL FIRE positions resources and staff, residents are urged to prepare too
Source: CAL FIRE
January 7, 2025 (Sacramento) - In response to a forecast of critical fire weather conditions, CAL FIRE has increased firefighter staffing and pre-positioned resources throughout Southern California. The National Weather Service predicts strong offshore winds, low humidity, and high fire risk from Tuesday through Thursday.
Source: SDG&E
January 6, 2025 (San Diego) – Due to extreme fire weather conditions and forecasted Santa Ana winds, San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) has notified 64,866 customers that it may have to turn off power to reduce wildfire risk as early as Tuesday. Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) are approved by state regulators as an important safety tool of last resort to mitigate fire risk during dangerous weather conditions.
This week marks the driest start to the rainy season in San Diego County in 174 years. As a result of these dry conditions and expected Santa Ana winds, the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for parts of Orange and San Diego Counties beginning Tuesday evening through late Wednesday night. SDG&E’s meteorology team is closely monitoring weather conditions.
Power shutoffs are possible in the following areas: