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At least 10 people have been killed by fast-moving wildfires that are continuing to tear across the Los Angeles County area.
Winds are set to calm between Friday and Saturday, although strong gusts were forecast in the evening. The winds are forecasted to return Sunday, and into next week, but officials pledge they will be ready for any future sparks.
The death toll from the current fires is expected to climb in the coming days, officials said.
Firefighters and other residents have also been injured in the life-threatening outbreak, which continued to force evacuation orders for around 153,000 residents.
There are five active large wildfires throughout Los Angeles County. The Palisades and Eaton fires are now some of the state’s most destructive in history. The Palisades and Eaton fires are both less than 10 percent contained.
Officials gave an update on the Eaton Fire early Friday afternoon.
“It looks like a war zone. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Kathryn Barger, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, told reporters.
Critical fire weather expected on Friday
Officials believe the Santa Ana Winds will continue to shift north but humidity will remain low, according to an update released by CalFire around 2pm on Friday.
On Saturday, typical mid-January conditions are likely to continue. Sunday and continuing through the middle of next week, weak to moderate Santa Ana winds are expected, the agency said. There is a chance of strong winds on Tuesday and there will continue to be a high likelihood of critical fire weather conditions through next week.
It’s estimated that more than 5,000 structures have been destroyed in the blaze.
Los Angeles Unified School District officials canceled classes for all schools on Friday. Residents are encouraged to avoid nonessential travel, CalFire said.
Michelle Del Rey11 January 2025 00:28
Drone footage shows the aftermath of the Palisades Fire
Drone footage released by USA Today shows rows of burnt homes and streets. The fire has spread to over 20,000 acres and threatens more than 11,000 structures. Three people have died in the blaze.
Michelle Del Rey10 January 2025 23:58
Super scooper plane hit by drone to be out of commission until Monday
LA County Fire Chief Anthony C Marrone made the announcement on Friday. The Canadian plane, named Quebec 1, sustained a large hole in its wing after the collision. Pilots didn’t know they’d hit the drone. Staff at Van Nuys Airport noticed the hole.
Los Angeles is currently only operating two super scoopers. The aircraft will be prioritized for repairs and will be up and running on Monday.
“Everyone should know … flying a drone in the fire traffic area is not only dangerous, but it’s illegal,” Marrone said, according to CNN. “Our federal partners behind the scenes are going to be implementing procedures to be able to follow drones in our two large fire areas, and they will be able to identify who the operator of that drone is.”
“The most important thing to know is that if you fly a drone at one of these brush fires, all aerial operations will be shut down, and we certainly don’t want to have that happen,” he added.
Michelle Del Rey10 January 2025 23:28
Evacuation warnings for the Hurst Fire in Sylmar and the Archer Fire in Granda Hills are lifted
Julia Musto10 January 2025 22:58
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone: I can assure residents LA County ‘will be prepared’
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone assured residents that the county would “be prepared” on Monday to face the return of red flag conditions next week.
Julia Musto10 January 2025 22:39
‘It looks like a war zone. I’ve never seen anything like it’: Officials give update on Eaton Fire
Officials gave an update on the Eaton Fire on Friday afternoon, reporting that more than 7,000 structures had been damaged or destroyed.
“It looks like a war zone. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Kathryn Barger, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, told reporters.
A red flag event, they noted, would expire at 6 p.m. PST. But, another event would begin on Monday.
Julia Musto10 January 2025 22:27
