California fires: what we know so far …
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Raging wildfires that have blazed around Los Angeles for two days have killed at least five people, destroyed almost 2,000 homes and buildings, and forced the evacuation of more than 130,000 people
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CAL Fire said it was still dealing with five major fires, covering more than 29,000 acres
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The disaster began on Tuesday afternoon, when a powerful windstorm fanned the flames of a fire in the scenic Pacific Palisades neighborhood, quickly forcing thousands to flee
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Although winds had begun to ease by Wednesday evening, and firefighters from across the state were relieving exhausted crews, the danger was far from over. As officials provided an update on the fires, a new blaze broke out in the Hollywood Hills, and evacuation orders were also extended to Santa Monica. The US National Weather Service continued to warn “critical risk of fire weather over parts of Southern California on Thursday”
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The Los Angeles department of water and power has issued a notice warning residents of the Pacific Palisades that they should only be using boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking, due to low water pressure and potential contamination of the supply. A similar notice has been issued in Pasadena
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Three people have been arrested for looting, according to law enforcement officials
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Billy Crystal, Paris Hilton and Eugene Levy are among celebrities who have lost their homes
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The White House announced that Joe Biden had cancelled Thursday’s planned visit to Italy – the final overseas trip of his presidency – to focus on directing the federal response to the fires
Key events
More than 400,000 customers in California are experiencing power outages.
As of 9:35am ET, 421,281 customers in California are without power, with around 210,000 coming from Los Angeles County, according to Poweroutage.us.
LAFD to lift evacuation orders for Hollywood Hills fire
The Los Angeles fire department will lift evacuation orders for the brush fire in the Hollywood Hills at 7:30am PT.
“At 7:30AM, the closed section of the Sunset Fire, area North of Franklin, will be OPEN and all evacuation orders LIFTED” the fire department said in a statement.
“We will still have LAFD companies working in the area and ask you to be careful while returning to your homes” it adds.
Conditions for a January Los Angeles firestorm have not existed before now, writes a meteorologist and climate journalist.
Read here:
Sam Levin
Hundreds of incarcerated firefighters are helping battle the destructive blazes in southern California.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said on Wednesday that it had deployed 395 imprisoned firefighters across 29 crews while the county fights multiple out-of-control blazes fueled by extreme winds and dry conditions.
The incarcerated crews are embedded with the California department of forestry and fire protection (Cal Fire) and its nearly 2,000 firefighters, who have been stretched thin from several simultaneous emergencies.
CDCR operates more than 30 “fire camps” across the state, where people serving state prison sentences are trained in firefighting and support authorities as they respond to fires, floods and other disasters.
Read more about it here:
High wind warnings are in effect until Friday for parts of Southern California.
The affected areas include parts of Orange county, the San Bernardino county mountains, the valleys of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, the Santa Ana mountains and foothills, as well as the San Diego county mountains and valleys.
The National Weather Service predicts northeast winds of 30 to 40 mph in some areas, with gusts potentially reaching up to 70 mph. In certain locations, isolated gusts could even hit 80 mph.
Southern California Gas Company is temporarily shutting off natural gas service to the Malibu community, extending from Brentwood Country Club to Pepperdine University, according to a statement.
“SoCalGas has determined it is necessary to temporarily shut off natural gas service to the Malibu community from Brentwood Country Club to Pepperdine University” the company said. “As a result, approximately 15,000 customers in the impacted communities are currently experiencing temporary service outages.”
“Gas service will be restored to this area once it is safe to do so” the company added.
SoCalGas has also temporarily disrupted service to approximately 100 customers in Sierra Madre and Altadena due to the Eaton fire.
The National Football League is preparing to potentially move Monday night’s playoff game from California to Arizona due to the fires.
In a statement on social media, the NFL said:
The NFL’s priority is the safety of the Los Angeles community. We are grateful for the tireless efforts of the first responders. Our hearts are with Los Angeles and everyone affected by the fires.
We continue to prepare to play the Vikings-Rams game as scheduled Monday night at SoFi Stadium.
As with all games, there are contingency plans in the event a change in location is needed. In this instance, the game would be played on Monday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, if necessary.
We will continue to closely monitor developments in the area and will remain in contact with public officials, both clubs and the NFLPA.
More than 250,000 customers are experiencing power outages in California, as of Thursday morning.
As of 9am ET, there are reportedly 258,323 customers without power in California, according to Poweroutage.us.
More than 15 school districts in Los Angeles county will remain closed on Thursday, according to the Los Angeles county Office of Education.
All schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) will also be closed today.
The LAUSD stated, “The combination of wind, fire, and smoke has created dangerous and complex situations, resulting in unsafe conditions for our school communities.”
The district added that they will continue to assess the situation over the next 24 hours and is preparing for the possibility of online learning on Friday, January 10.
Several school districts have already announced their closures for Friday, including Burbank Unified School District, Pasadena Unified School District, and La Cañada Unified School District.
Universal Studios says its park in Hollywood and Universal CityWalk will be closed again on Thursday.
“Out of an abundance of caution, Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal CityWalk will be closed on Thursday, January 9 as a result of the extreme winds and fire conditions” reads a statement on the theme park’s social media.
“We will continue to assess the situation and are directing guests to visit our website for updates.”
Critical fire weather conditions expected to continue today in parts of southern California
Critical fire weather conditions will continue today across portions of southern California today, the National Weather Service said in its most recent update.
Winds of 20-30 mph are expected, with wind gusts of 40-60 mph possible.
“Significant fire growth remains likely with ongoing or new fires,” the service said.
Due to strong offshore winds and low humidity, Red Flag warnings are in effect until Friday evening in much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
On Wednesday evening, the National Weather Service said that north to north-east wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph were expected on Thursday in typical Santa Ana wind areas, with the strongest winds occurring in the mountains and foothills.
“Winds will be strongest near the Hollywood Hills,” the service stated.
For Thursday night and Friday, winds are forecasted to become slightly stronger, with gusts ranging from 40 to 55 mph. Isolated gusts could reach up to 70 mph in favored foothills and peaks.
Humidity levels are expected to be low, ranging from 10 to 20%, with localized drops to as low as 5% at times.
The service added, “There will be a high risk of widespread downed trees and power lines, as well as widespread power outages.”
Where the fires stand this morning:
As of 8am ET, here is where the fires currently stand, according to California Fire officials.
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Palisades fire: LA County, 17, 234 acres burned, 0% contained
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Eaton fire: LA County, 10.600 acres burned, 0% contained
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Hurst fire: LA County, 855 acres burned, 10% contained
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Lidia fire: LA County, 348 acres burned, 40% contained
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Sunset fire: LA County, 43 acres burned, 0% contained
A fast-moving fire broke out in the hills above Hollywood Boulevard, and threatened some of Los Angeles’ most recognisable tourist spots yesterday evening, causing chaotic scenes as it triggered an evacuation.
This map from our graphics team shows the extent of the burn damage in the Los Angeles area after five major wildfires broke out since Tuesday.
This view from a few hours ago shows sunset over the heavily devastated Lake Ave, north of Altadena Ave in Altadena.
Martin Wooster, a professor of Earth Observation Science at King’s College London said that the risk to residents is not just of the fire itself, but that “the smoke filled air poses a risk to health for potentially millions of people, because the smoke particles are so small they can be breathed in and enter the lungs and circulation system”.
Residents in the Palisades and Pasadena have been advised to boil tap water before drinking it due to the risk of the water supply being contaminated by debris from the fire.
Wooster continued:
Satellite data shows that in quite a few areas of the world fire activity is actually reducing over the past 40 or 50 years, even though climate change is primarily driving an increase in the flammability of landscapes, by making many areas hotter and drier for longer. This reduction is because people are moving away from use of fire to manage land.
However, in the western US, the same data indicates that fires in the 21st century have been more active than those in the last few decades of the 20th – potentially due to changes in our climate. The number of ‘fire weather’ days (ie periods when weather conditions have been such that fires can spread) are increasing with climate change.
The US National Weather Service has issued a forecast today saying there remains “a critical risk of fire weather over parts of southern California on Thursday”.
The Los Angeles Times has described the city of Los Angeles as having faced “a two-day nightmare”, and said people need to be prepared for more days of fire weather.
In its latest report, it wrote:
Unlike the catastrophic conditions on Tuesday night, where gusts of up to 100mph (160kph) were recorded, on Wednesday night, aircraft were able to make water drops.
Officials urged people to still be vigilant. By Thursday afternoon, winds are expected to bump back up along the region’s Santa Ana wind corridors, with gusts from the northeast of up to 40mph (65kph), and isolated gusts of up to 70mph (110kph).
Winds should peak Thursday evening into early Friday morning, the weather service said. The weather service warned that foothills facing the south could face erratic winds, “which may lead to chaotic fire growth.”
Here is the latest map from our interactive team showing where evacuation orders and evacuation warnings have been in place around the five major wildfires that are burning around Los Angeles in California.
