(NewsNation) — The death toll in the Los Angeles area wildfires has reached at least 24, and authorities said the number is expected to rise as cadaver dogs search through still-smoldering neighborhoods.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner reported 24 fire-related deaths on Sunday. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna confirmed 14 of the deaths that afternoon.
The Palisades Fire was 11% contained as of Sunday evening, while multiple other wildfires continue to burn, spanning more than 38,000 acres, forcing mass evacuations and destroying more than 12,300 structures. The Eaton Fire, which spanned more than 14,000 acres as of Sunday, is 27% contained.
Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said Sunday that some residents won’t be allowed to return to evacuation zones until the forecasted Red Flag event on Jan. 15 ends. Repopulation for communities affected by the Eaton Fire will start on Sunday, Jan. 12 at 3 p.m.
“So, please rest assured that first thing Thursday we will start talking about repopulation in evacuation order and warning areas,” Marrone said.
Los Angeles Unified will reopen most schools and all offices on Monday, Jan. 13, though some remained closed due to mandatory evacuation orders.
Dangerously strong winds, a lack of rain and dry conditions created the perfect storm for what people are describing as an “apocalyptic” situation. And the National Weather Service says winds are expected to pick up again soon, remaining hazardous into the middle of next week.
“We’re looking at critical fire conditions likely redeveloping across the area again (Sunday), so it’s looking very dire for some of these firefighters that have to fight these fires,” said NWS senior meteorologist Todd Hall to NewsNation.
Mexico, Canada aid California’s firefighting efforts
On Sunday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom deployed an additional 1,000 California National Guard Service members to Los Angeles fires.
“The men and women of the California National Guard have been on the ground since day one – not only fighting fires, but also assisting with public safety efforts in communities devastated by these fires. We thank them for their efforts to keep our communities safe,” Newsom said in a statement.
Newsom has increased California Guard personnel activated to support the response efforts to a total of about 2,500 service members.
Mexico sent 72 firefighters to Los Angeles on Saturday to help battle the fires.
“Emergencies have no borders – we are deeply grateful to our neighbors in Mexico for their unwavering support during one of our greatest times of need,” Newsom said. “Thank you to President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo for lending the best of the best.”
On Friday, the Biden administration detailed actions to support local firefighters. There are already five U.S. Forest Service air tankers in operation and an additional one is en route. More than 20 federal firefighting helicopters are being used and two air firefighting system units have been deployed.
There are also 10 Navy helicopters with water buckets en route to help with aerial suppression efforts. Colorado has also announced it will be assisting. At least 400 National Guard members are being deployed in the region to support the 700 fighting the fires on 12 hours on-off schedules.
“Thank you for being here. Thank you for supporting the LAFD. We’re very, very grateful for all of your help,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said during a Sunday afternoon press conference.
Crowley urged Southern California residents to “stay informed”and “be prepared to evacuate” ahead of more strong winds.
Los Angeles wildfires: Politics at play
California Gov. Gavin Newsom invited President-elect Donald Trump to California via social media amid the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles and subsequent political “blame games.”
“The hundreds of thousands of Americans — displaced from their homes and fearful for the future — deserve to see us all working together in their best interests,” Newsom said. “Not politicizing a human tragedy and spreading disinformation from the sidelines.”
When the first of the wildfires broke out Tuesday, the Los Angeles mayor was thousands of miles away. Mayor Karen Bass was on her way back to Los Angeles on Wednesday morning as the city remained under siege.
The mayor’s office told NewsNation affiliate KTLA that rumors of Bass firing Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley are false.
The Santa Ana winds have helped fuel the fires and made it difficult to contain the flames, with the largest Palisades Fire only 11% contained as of Saturday evening.
Investigators believe Kenneth fire was set deliberately
The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed to NewsNation that the Kenneth Fire is now being investigated as an arson case, and one person is in custody.
Threatening homes near Calabasas and Hidden Hills, the Kenneth Fire is just one among several wildfires ravaging L.A. County.
Investigators believe the fire may have been set on purpose, and it was citizens who helped detain the suspect.
On Friday, Dominic Choi, assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, said there was not enough probable cause to arrest the person in custody for arson. Instead, the suspect was arrested for a felony probation violation.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said if the fire is determined to be arson, the penalty could be as high as homicide and could result in life in prison.
“Justice will be swift. It will be firm, and the maximum punishment will be sought,” Hochman said on “Banfield.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Friday that 153,000 residents are still under evacuation orders, and 16,000 are under evacuation warnings.
Click here to view the LAPD’s interactive evacuation zone map.
A curfew order has been established for the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire evacuation areas starting at 8 p.m. CT, Luna said. After this time, only disaster workers and media will be allowed in these areas. If members of the public are still there, they will be arrested, Luna said.
Evacuation alert sent by mistake
An emergency alert issuing an evacuation warning for all of Los Angeles County was sent out by accident Thursday, NewsNation local affiliate KTLA reported. Officials said later this was only meant for the Kenneth Fire.
Kevin McGowan, the director of Los Angeles’ County Office of Emergency Management acknowledged at a news conference Friday that the mistake caused an “extreme amount of frustration, anger” and fear.
“I can’t express how sorry I am for this experience,” McGowan said.
The error was not “human-driven,” he added.
“There is no one sitting at a desk right now initiating emergency alerts,” McGowan told reporters.
Resolving the issue and finding its cause is his top priority, McGowan said, and he is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System team.McGowan asked people to not disable the evacuation messages on their phone, and if they do get an alert, to verify it by checking the Office of Emergency Management’s website.
However, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Kathryn Barger said at the same press conference that telling people to go on the website when they may not have internet access is “absurd” and not going to satisfy people’s irritation with the situation.
“I’m not making any excuses, it’s unacceptable, and it is frustrating, because we are asking people to trust us, to believe us when we say evacuate,” Barger said. “If we’re going to tell them to evacuate we better make darn sure we’re targeting the right people. So don’t think we’re taking this lightly. I’m not. And I know that my residents aren’t.”
Federal response to California fires
President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that he had signed a fire management systems grant and a major disaster declaration in response to the fires.
Cost-sharing will be waived, with the federal government covering 100% of the costs for 180 days.
“I told the governor and local officials, spare no expense,” Biden said.
Biden also announced additional resources for California, including 400 federal firefighters, more than 30 helicopters and planes, eight C-130s from the Defense Department that are equipped to suppress wildfires and 500 ground-clearing personnel.
The president addressed the water shortage and reports from people who said hydrants were out, explaining that utilities had shut off power for fear lines would be blown down and fuel fires or spark additional ones, which resulted in a loss of pressure at hydrants. He said generators would be used to restore pressure.
Vice President Kamala Harris, whose home is in the evacuation area, called the fires “apocalyptic” and thanked firefighters for the work they are doing.
“This is something that is going to have an impact for months and years to come,” she said.
Federal officials noted that the fires are happening earlier in the year than usual, driven by Santa Ana winds, as a result of climate change.
“We are beyond the point of calling it fire season,” Harris said about climate change and wildfires.
Helicopters are dropping water from the air, and hundreds of firefighters continue to be on the scene to help respond to the emergencies.
Residents describe being ‘numb’
As crews work to fight the flames, some families have returned to their homes. Many are finding it hard to come up with the words to describe what they’re feeling and seeing.
One family who spoke to NewsNation came back to find the home they bought in 1969 in ruins.
“If I sound calm, that’s being numb,” Henri Yonet said. “To process this is going to take a while. Thinking back on all the photographs I had that I wanted to scan…”
Where are the LA area fires burning?
Multiple fires are burning in the area, according to this map.
Palisades Fire
As of Saturday, the rapidly moving wildfire in the Pacific Palisades area has spread to 23,654 acres, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said. It is at 11% containment, the city announced Saturday afternoon.
An estimated 5,316 structures were damaged or destroyed in the Pacific Palisades fire, which also resulted in two confirmed fatalities.
It is far worse than the area’s second-most destructive blaze, according to statistics kept by the Wildfire Alliance, a partnership between the city’s fire department and MySafe, The Associated Press reports.
Evacuation warnings from Sunset Boulevard north to the Encino Reservoir, and from Interstate 405 to the Mandeville Canyon, were elevated to mandatory evacuation orders, according to NewsNation affiliate KTLA.
There were a high number of significant injuries to residents who did not evacuate, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said, as well as some wounded first responders.
The blaze was first reported as a vegetation fire around 10:30 a.m. PT Tuesday.
Eaton Fire
An additional fire erupted around 7:30 p.m. PT Tuesday in the Eaton Canyon area north of Altadena, roughly 40 miles east of the Pacific Palisades blaze.
As of Sunday afternoon, the Eaton Fire is at 27% containment across 14,117 acres.
Several injuries have been reported, and Marrone said 7,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed.
An observatory on Mt. Wilson is OK, Marrone said.
Hurst Fire
Mandatory evacuations were ordered Tuesday night for a fire near Diamond Road, Sylmar.
The Hurst Fire, as of Sunday afternoon, was at 89% containment across 799 acres.
All evacuations and warnings related to the Hurst fire have been lifted, Crowley said.
Lidia Fire
The Lidia Fire is being reported at approximately 395 acres near the 5700 block of Soledad Canyon Road in Acton.
It is 100% contained, according to CAL FIRE.
Kenneth Fire
The Kenneth Fire, which erupted close to homes in the area of Calabasas and Hidden Hills, started at Victory Trailhead, which is now a crime scene.
The fire was first reported around 2:30 p.m. in an area of dry brush in the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, north of U.S. Highway 101.
As of Sunday afternoon, the Kenneth Fire was 100% contained after burning more than 1,000 acres.
LAFD issued a mandatory evacuation order for neighborhoods north of the 101 Freeway from Colony Road to the west, Orrville Avenue to the east, and north to Burbank Road. By 5:30 p.m., the order was downgraded to a warning and encompassed only a limited area of homes west of the fire and east of Valley Circle Road.
Archer Fire
A brush fire erupted in Granada Hills Friday prompting evacuation orders that were later downgraded to warnings amid what fire officials described as “erratic winds.”
The Archer Fire was reported shortly before 10:30 a.m. in the 17200 block of West Sesnon Boulevard. It was initially said to have burned 2 to 3 acres, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
According to Cal Fire, Archer has burned 19 acres, and is now 100% contained.
There were no immediate reports of injuries resulting from the incident. The cause of the fire is unknown.
How much damage have wildfires caused?
Accuweather estimates that the total damage and economic loss from the fires to be $135-150 billion.
There are 207,980 customers without power in California, per Poweroutage.us.
Mark Pestrella, director of Los Angeles County Public Works Director, said sewer, power and transportation systems have been damaged significantly.
All Los Angeles Unified schools and offices will remain closed until the conditions improve, Superintendent Alberto Carvalhohe said.The district has lost two elementary schools, and one high school is significantly damaged, Carvalho said.
Other closures include NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, The Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Getty Villa, which will not open until Monday, Jan. 13. Angeles National Forest is temporarily closed for public safety through Wednesday, Jan.15.
On X, the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team announced their Thursday game is being rescheduled. So far, the Wild Card playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams football team and Minnesota Vikings is still set for SoFi Stadium on Monday. If needed, though, the teams said they will play in Phoenix.
The Altadena Golf Course has been destroyed, according to Johnny Eusebio, general manager.
The Palisades Fire has destroyed the historic ranch house that belonged to Hollywood legend Will Rogers.
Los Angeles County has lost several facilities to fire, including the Eaton Canyon nature center and a senior center, Barger said at a media briefing Wednesday afternoon.
In addition, the Bunny Museum, which had been open for 26 years in Altadena, burned to the ground, according to a Facebook post.
The organization that puts on the Oscars extended its voting window for Academy Awards nominations, delaying the announcement of them initially set for next week.
What are officials doing?
At a news conference Wednesday, Marrone said there are not enough firefighters in LA County to address four separate fires of this size, even with additional resources.
“The LA County Fire Department was prepared for one or two major brush fires, but not four,” he said.
The fires are also straining the water supply in the region, with firefighters complaining Tuesday night that fire hydrants were out of water.
“Why aren’t my fire hydrants full?” asked resident Rachel Darvis. “That’s going to be the question in the next election. There have to be consequences.”
Asked at a Thursday news conference about whether she was frustrated about fire hydrants not being full, Bass said “of course” she was.
“We all know that this has been an unprecedented event,” Bass said. “We also know that fire hydrants are not constructed to deal with this kind of devastation.”
The problem was that the lack of air support because of the winds limited the city’s response, Bass said.
Crowley added that if places still don’t have water, they will find it.
When a reporter asked about the city slashing $17.5m from the fire department budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, Bass claimed no reductions made would have affected the wildfires, instead blaming “unprecedented” wind storms.
“Rest assured, when that is done, when we are safe, when lives have been saved and homes have been saved, we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, what didn’t work, and to correct, or to hold accountable, anybody, department, individual, etc.,” Bass said.
Pestrella said the agency’s current goal is utility restoration and clearing debris. People should not be removing debris themselves, he stressed.
What resources are being offered?
Animal shelters have been established for residents affected by the wildfires. People can go to http://lacounty.gov/emergency for more information.
Airbnb announced it would work with local authorities to offer temporary housing for people affected by the fires.
Uber is offering free rides up to $40 to get to active shelters with the promo code WILDFIRE25.
Three evacuation centers for people and 12 for animals have been established so far for people fleeing the wildfires burning in the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other Los Angeles neighborhoods.
Another evacuation shelter, El Camino Real Charter High School, wrote on its Facebook page that it was accepting donations of food and water for evacuees.
The Pasadena Humane Society is taking in animals in need of help, as well as directing some evacuees to a partner shelter. It is looking for volunteers to foster large dogs for a week or more.
Watch Duty, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit group, has an app that alerts people of nearby fires and first responder efforts in real time.
Both the Los Angeles County Emergency Management Office and the American Red Cross are posting updated lists of evacuation sites on their websites.
Federal Emergency Management Agency staff are providing in-person support, helping residents apply for disaster relief at the Westwood Recreation Center and the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center. And the Small Business Administration is offering home disaster loans, business disaster loans and economic injury disaster loans, all of which can be applied for at lending.sba.gov.
The Department of Defense is making its bases in the area available as shelters for displaced personnel and families, providing more than 1,000 beds.
The White House says the emergency declaration approved by Biden allows for federal funding to be made available to impacted individuals in Los Angeles County for temporary housing and home repairs as well as low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs aimed at helping individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, or by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or by using the FEMA App.
More than 24,000 people have registered for FEMA assistance since the disaster declaration on Wednesday, White House officials said Sunday.
NewsNation affiliate KTLA and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
