Fierce wildfires are raging in the Los Angeles area, fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds, sending residents fleeing from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds, and towering clouds of smoke.
Thousands of firefighters were battling at least three separate blazes on Wednesday, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena. One of the fires was the most destructive in the modern history of the city of LA.
Here's the latest:
Los Angeles County has lost several facilities to fire, including the Eaton Canyon nature center and a senior center, LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at a media briefing Wednesday afternoon.
She also said a sheriff's station had been evacuated because of fire. It wasn't clear if it had been damaged.
Authorities gave an update Wednesday afternoon on the Eaton fire near Pasadena that exploded in high winds Tuesday, causing at least five deaths.
Here are a few facts and figures they shared:
1. The Eaton fire has consumed over 16.5 square miles and is so far uncontained.
2. Between 200 and 500 structures have been damaged or destroyed.
3. About 100,000 people have received notices to evacuate.
4. At least five school campuses in Altadena have suffered substantial fire damage.
5. Embers carried by winds in the 70-mph range started dozens of fires Tuesday night, igniting block after block as they flew through the air.
6. Some 750 firefighters are working to halt the blaze, with more on the way.
7. More than 250 pets have been taken in by the Pasadena Humane Society in the past 24 hours.
The National Weather Service says gusty winds and very dry conditions would continue to fuel fires in the Los Angeles area.
Forecasters predicted wind gusts of 35-55 mph, which could rise higher in the mountains and foothills. Meteorologists said Los Angeles and Ventura counties would have weather conducive to fire through Friday, meaning low relative humidity, strong winds, unstable air, and drought.
But winds have dissipated enough for aircraft to assist in fighting the fires, Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustine said.
"Tonight we have very mild wind conditions where we can get aircraft and a ton of additional resources getting their hands around this fire," Augustin said. "That's what gives me confidence that we're going to get a handle on this fire."
The fire chief warned that it was still an active fire with risk of spread over the next day.
The Eaton fire burning north of Pasadena, California, has damaged or destroyed between 200 and 500 structures, Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
The fire has burned over 16.5 square miles and is so far uncontained, Augustin said. He said wind gusts reached over 70 mph Tuesday night.
Augustin said the water system was stretched and was further hampered by power outages.
"But I'll be clear," he added, saying that no matter how much water was available, "we were not stopping that fire last night. Those erratic wind gusts were throwing embers for multiple miles ahead of the fire."
The organization that puts on the Oscars has extended the voting window for Academy Awards nominations and delayed next week's planned nominations announcement.
Bill Kramer, the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, shared the postponements to the film academy members in a letter obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Nominations and the voting window have both been extended by two days. Oscar nominations will now be revealed on Sunday, Jan. 19. Voting closes on Jan. 14.
"We want to offer our deepest condolences to those who have been impacted by the devastating fires across Southern California," Kramer wrote. "So many of our members and industry colleagues live and work in the Los Angeles area, and we are thinking of you."
Evacuation orders and warnings have been issued for some densely populated Santa Monica neighborhoods just north of the city's famous pier.
City officials say people in the affected zones should leave now, including those in evacuation warning areas who may need additional time to get out. Police were being deployed to help with evacuations, the city wrote on its website.
The city says its Big Blue Bus is offering free transport every hour to evacuation centers.
The death toll from the wildfires burning in the Los Angeles area has risen to five, according to Nicole Nishida, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Officials had reported earlier that two people had died. Officials say they have no other details on the deaths.
The Palisades fire has destroyed the historic ranch house that belonged to Hollywood legend Will Rogers.
California State Parks said in a statement that Rogers' historic ranch house was among multiple structures destroyed by the devastating fire at both Will Rogers State Historic Park and Topanga State Park. The historic Topanga Ranch Motel, built by William Randolph Hearst in 1929, also burned down.
Rogers' ranch, built on land he bought in the 1920s, occupied some 359 acres in what is now Pacific Palisades. It included a 31-room ranch house, a stable, a golf course, and riding trails. His wife donated it to California State Parks in 1944.
The Pentagon will send 10 Navy helicopters to help fight fires burning in California, said Sabrina Singh, spokesperson for the department.
The order has yet to be finalized, but officials expect it will be an active duty unit with Navy Sea Hawks based in Southern California that can be equipped to carry water.
Singh also said Wednesday that the military is prepared to make four additional modular air firefighting systems available to the California National Guard. Those would likely come from other National Guard units in the country.
The Reel Inn, an iconic Malibu seafood shack and fish market known for its Pacific Coast Highway location and kitschy vibe, has burned.
Owner Teddy Leonard says she and her husband Andy watched it burn on TV Tuesday evening from their home a few miles away. A short time later they began packing up their belongings, evacuating and heading to a short-term rental home in Santa Monica.
On Wednesday, Leonard was hopeful her home may have survived the flames. She said restaurant employees have been texting, hoping to rebuild, but it may be a challenge.
"Part of the charm for our little fish shack was my husband's, you know, collecting of old surfboards, going back to the 1930s, that were hanging in the rafters," Leonard said.
The Reel Inn opened in 1986, but several other restaurants have operated in the same location since the 1940s.
"My husband and I, we keep looking at each other and going, 'We have each other. We have these beautiful grandchildren and children and life,'" Leonard said.
More than 1.5 million customers were without power in Southern California on Wednesday afternoon as wildfires tore through several Los Angeles county neighborhoods, according to tracking site PowerOutage.us.
Well over half of the roughly 334,000 customers in Ventura County were without power, along with more than 957,000 customers in Los Angeles County.
Power companies often shut off power as a public safety measure when extreme winds, like the ones pummeling Southern California, are forecasted.
Wildfire smoke is known to cause heart attacks and worsening asthma. Now, patients suffering from those conditions are showing up in emergency rooms at a time when hospitals are already full because of flu season, said Dr. Puneet Gupta, the assistant medical director for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
"We have a number of hospitals threatened, and if they have to be evacuated, it could become a crisis," said Gupta, also a spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Several hundred evacuees were at the Pasadena evacuation center by Wednesday afternoon. Many were elderly, sitting wheelchair to wheelchair, and from assisted living facilities.
Donald Fisher, 78, said he was first to be wheeled onto the bus at the Camellia Gardens Care Center to be taken to the shelter around 8 a.m.
"I can stand up but I can't walk," Fisher said. "I think that the city of Pasadena did a marvelous job."
The earlier arrivals were able to snag green cots to sleep on, while others wondered where they would sleep at night when the cots ran out.
The shelter was providing hot meals, as well as food for dogs and cats brought there.
The LA Metro suspended fares on Wednesday after intermittent power outages made it difficult for riders to purchase and load fare cards.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn wrote on the social media site X that Metro rides would be free systemwide for the remainder of the day.
Wind and wildfire damage also forced the closure of some Los Angeles bus lines and created detours for others.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby, who held a virtual briefing for reporters, said, "It was important for the president while he was there to make it clear to the people of Southern California how diligently our government and our administration is going to support their firefighting efforts, but also their recovery efforts."
President Joe Biden was in the Los Angeles area for an event Tuesday that the White House later postponed because of the fires.
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.
But with at least 70,000 people in evacuation zones, some shelter resources are scarce.
When EJ Soto and her family arrived at the Pasadena Convention Center after fleeing their Altadena home early Wednesday morning, the facility had already run out of cots.
"I had one hour of sleep, so it's been a really, bad, really bad day," Soto said.
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 wrote on Facebook that it had taken in more than 100 animals overnight and was taking in more, but kennel space was filling up. The organization was directing some evacuees to a partner shelter and is looking for volunteers to foster large dogs for a week or more.
Both the Los Angeles County Emergency Management Office and the American Red Cross are posting updated lists of evacuation sites on their websites.
The White House says the president and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass discussed the latest updates by phone as Biden flew back to Washington, D.C., aboard Air Force One.
AccuWeather estimates $52 billion to $57 billion in preliminary damage and economic loss has occurred from the raging Los Angeles area wildfires.
The company said the estimate comes from an advisory that will soon be released.
"We both understand that fire does not recognize map lines, and we are ready to help each other whenever there is a need," Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said in a statement.
"During our historic 2024 wildfire season, California sent us help. And in their time of need, we are working as fast as possible to lend them support during this emergency," she added.
The 12 teams include 240 firefighters and 60 engines.
Their Wednesday mobilization comes after the Oregon agency received a request for assistance late Tuesday evening.
The NHL's Kings and Flames were set to play at the Kings' downtown arena. The NBA's Los Angeles Lakers are scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena on Thursday night.
"Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community," the Kings said in a statement. "We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league's support in keeping our fans, staff, and players safe."
The NFL is also paying close attention to the potential impact of the fires on the two playoff-bound Los Angeles teams' preparations and the Rams' wild-card postseason game against the Minnesota Vikings scheduled for Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
The Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers both train in areas not threatened by fires, but both teams are monitoring the air quality and its potential impact on their preparations.
With an estimated 1,000 structures destroyed and the flames still growing on Wednesday, it is far more destructive than the second-most destructive, according to statistics kept by the Wildfire Alliance, a partnership between the city's fire department and MySafe:LA.
Structures refers to homes and other buildings.
The last most destructive fire was the Sayre Fire in November 2008 that destroyed 604 structures in Sylmar, the northernmost suburb of the city.
Before that, a 1961 Bel Air fire stood for nearly half a century as the most destructive fire in the city's history. It burned nearly 500 houses in the hillside enclave, including the homes of actor Burt Lancaster, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and other celebrities.
Aircraft had been grounded due to extreme winds, dramatically hampering the firefight.
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