Palisades Fire

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Lakeside Fire Department, which has sent firefighters to battle the Palisades wildfire

January 11, 2025 (Los Angeles) – After days of massive destruction and widespread evacuations, firefighters are finally making progress on four remaining wildfires in the Los Angeles area.  At least 13 people have died in the fires, which have destroyed an estimated12,000 structures, the Los Angeles Times reports.

At least 90 firefighters from San Diego County have been dispatched to help fight the L.A. fires, including Lakeside Fire Department, which posted photos on social media of the Palisades Fire that their firefighters have been battling since Wednesday. Hundreds of thousands remain evacuated, as firefighters slowly make progress toward controlling fires fueled initially by hurricane-force winds.

Here are the latest updates from Cal Fire and L.A.-based news outlets:

The Palisades Fire has burned 22,600 acres and is now 11% contained. The wildfire has ravaged Pacific Palisades, portions of Malibu, and homes along Pacific Coast Highway.  Current evacuation orders include much of Brentwood, Encino,Calabasas, Sansta Monica,Malibu and Pacific Palisades.  This fire has damaged or destroyed around 5,300 homes; another 12,000  structures are still threatened.

The Eaton Fire has scorched14,117 acres and is 15% contained. Around 7,000 structures have been damaged or lost, according to fire officials, in Pasadena and Altadena.

The Kenneth Fire is now 80% contained after burning 1,052 acres near the Los Angeles and Ventura county lines. All evacuation warnings have been lifted.

Evacuation orders have also been lifted for the Hurst Fire, which burned approximately 779 acres in the Sylmar area.  The Hurst Fire is now 76% contained.

At least two other fires have been fully contained, including a blaze that threatened portions of Hollywood.

Firefighters have come from across the region and as far away as Canada and Mexico. Canada has deployed 250 firefighters, while Mexico has sent at least 101 “bomberos” or firefighters to L.A.  Numerous inmate firefighters are also help to control the conflagrations.

After Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state emergency, President Joe Biden cancelled a planned trip to Italy to meet with the pope in order to get aid to California. President Biden announced that the federal government will cover “100 percent of all the costs” to fight fires in Los Angeles County, higher than the 75% customarily granted by the federal government to states during disasters.

It is unclear whether President-elect Donald Trump’s administration will continue to provide aid to California, since Trump has previously threatened to withhold disaster aid from states that didn’t vote for him.  Asked if he is confident that the Trump team members will continue to send disaster aid to California,  Biden responded, ”I pray to God they will,” Politico reports.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Lakeside Fire Department, which has sent firefighters to battle the Palisades wildfire

January 11, 2025 (Los Angeles) – After days of massive destruction and widespread evacuations, firefighters are finally making progress on four remaining wildfires in the Los Angeles area.  At least 13 people have died in the fires, which have destroyed an estimated12,000 structures, the Los Angeles Times reports.

At least 90 firefighters from San Diego County have been dispatched to help fight the L.A. fires, including Lakeside Fire Department, which posted photos on social media of the Palisades Fire that their firefighters have been battling since Wednesday. Hundreds of thousands remain evacuated, as firefighters slowly make progress toward controlling fires fueled initially by hurricane-force winds.

Here are the latest updates from Cal Fire and L.A.-based news outlets:

The Palisades Fire has burned 22,600 acres and is now 11% contained. The wildfire has ravaged Pacific Palisades, portions of Malibu, and homes along Pacific Coast Highway.  Current evacuation orders include much of Brentwood, Encino,Calabasas, Sansta Monica,Malibu and Pacific Palisades.  This fire has damaged or destroyed around 5,300 homes; another 12,000  structures are still threatened.

The Eaton Fire has scorched14,117 acres and is 15% contained. Around 7,000 structures have been damaged or lost, according to fire officials, in Pasadena and Altadena.

The Kenneth Fire is now 80% contained after burning 1,052 acres near the Los Angeles and Ventura county lines. All evacuation warnings have been

lifted.

Evacuation orders have also been lifted for the Hurst Fire, which burned approximately 779 acres in the Sylmar area.  The Hurst Fire is now 76% contained.

At least two other fires have been fully contained, including a blaze that threatened portions of Hollywood.

Firefighters have come from across the region and as far away as Canada and Mexico. Canada has deployed 250 firefighters, while Mexico has sent at least 101 “bomberos” or firefighters to L.A.  Numerous inmate firefighters are also help to control the conflagrations.

After Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state emergency, President Joe Biden cancelled a planned trip to Italy to meet with the pope in order to get aid to California. President Biden announced that the federal government will cover “100 percent of all the costs” to fight fires in Los Angeles County, higher than the 75% customarily granted by the federal government to states during disasters.

It is unclear whether President-elect Donald Trump’s administration will continue to provide aid to California, since Trump has previously threatened to withhold disaster aid from states that didn’t vote for him.  Asked if he is confident that the Trump team members will continue to send disaster aid to California,  Biden responded, ”I pray to God they will,” Politico reports.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Henri Migala: Palisades Fire in Los Angeles

January 9, 2025 (Los Angeles) – Over 179,000 people are under evacuation orders as massive fires continue to burn across Los Angeles County, with no containment as yet on the worst conflagrations.  Fire officials’ estimates of homes lost range from several hundred to over 1,000, and at least five people have died.

The Palisades Fire has scorched over 1,700 acres, burning all the way to the Pacific Ocean.  Videos posted online show massive destruction of homes along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Most of Pacific Palisades has been destroyed, with evacuations as far away as Santa Monica. It remains 0% contained.  Low water pressure left some hydrants without water and high winds have restricted firefighting aircraft, leaving the blaze to burn out of control in its crucial early hours, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Eaton Fire has charred over 10,000 acres in Pasadena and Altadena.  It is 0% contained; this is the fire in which five people are confirmed dead, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The Sunset Fire in Hollywood Hills also forced evacuations. It has burned 42.8 acres and is 0% contained, per the Watch Duty App.

In Sylmar, the Hursts Fire has burned 855 acres and is 10% contained.

The Lidia Fire in Soledad Canyon is reportedly 40% contained, with forward progress stopped.

Only the Woodley Fire, which started in an L.A. nature preserve, has been 100% contained.

The wildfires have been fueled by in some cases hurricane-force winds amid the driest conditions in more than a century for this time of year.  The winds are forecast to continue, making firefighters’ work challenging.  “We are absolutely not out of danger yet,” Los Angeles FireDept. Chief Kristinj Crowley stated today.

Firefighting reinforcements have come in from numerous areas, including San Diego County.  The Governor has declared a statewide emergency and President Joe Biden has pledge reimbursement for firefighting expenses, though President-Elect Donald Trump has threatened to withhold firefighting aid for California. 

How you can help

GoFundMe has launched the California Wildfire Relief Hub to help those affected by wildfires in Los Angeles County and potentially other California communities if future fires occur. Each fundraiser in the hub has been verified by GoFundMe’s trust and safety team

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.

The Palisades Fire (Photo,left, by Henri Migala) has burned over 2,900 acres and has destroyed many homes, including beachfront houses along Pacific Coast Highway, since it began yesterday morning in Pacific Palisades. Over 30,000 residences have been evacuated in cities including Santa Monita, Topanga, Malibu, and Pacific Palisades.

Photo, left by Henri Migala: Palisades Fire viewed from Westin Hotel near LAX this morning.

The Eaton Fire in Altadena/Pasadena soared to 2,227 acres overnight.  In Sylmar, the Hurst Fire has burned 500 acres. All of these fires remain zero percent contained.

Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state emergency due to the Los Angeles County Fires.

The winds fueling these devastating wildfires are moving into San Diego next, posing extreme fire danger here. Some local firefighters are now in L.A. helping to battle those fires.

 SDG&E has begun shutting off power to prevent fires in some rural communities, with more outages anticipated.

Please be prepared for power outages and evacuation if necessary.Avoid any actions that could spark a brush fire, such as weed whacking or parking a vehicle atop try brush.

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