Los Angeles Authorities in the Los Angeles area claimed that the two largest wildfires have destroyed over 10,000 homes and other structures and killed at least 10 people. They also advised more people to follow evacuation orders when a new fire started and spread quickly.
Just two miles from a school that was providing shelter to evacuees from another fire, the Kenneth Fire broke out in the San Fernando Valley late Thursday afternoon. The fire extended into neighboring Ventura County, but firefighters’ massive and forceful reaction prevented it from getting worse.
To prevent the fire from reoccurring, over 400 firemen stayed on the scene overnight.
On Thursday, January 9, 2025, firefighters fight the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Photo by Ethan Swope for AP)
Officials voiced confidence just hours before the Kenneth Fire burst to life after firefighters, assisted by calmer winds and assistance from crews from outside the state, saw the first indications of effectively containing the two disastrous wildfires in the region.
More than 5,000 structures—which include residences, apartment complexes, businesses, sheds, and automobiles—have been destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Pasadena since it began on Tuesday night. On Thursday, firefighters succeeded in establishing the initial portion of containment.
In the Pacific Palisades to the west, the biggest fire in the Los Angeles region has destroyed more than 5,300 buildings, and firefighters were unable to contain it.
The nation’s second-largest city is experiencing a sense of fear and despair as a result of the three fires that have all started this week, all of which are situated in an area about 25 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.For the biggest fires, no reason has been found.
On Thursday, January 9, 2025, Anderson Hao and Ari Rivera, on the right, embrace in front of their demolished Altadena, California, home. (Photo by John Locher/AP)
On Friday, a number of weather monitoring organizations declared that 2024 was the hottest year on record. According to Marshall Shepherd, a professor of meteorology at the University of Georgia, Hurricane Helene, floods in Spain, and the meteorological whiplash that is causing wildfires in California are all signs of this regrettable shift in the climate.
Even in a state accustomed to huge wildfires, the extent of the destruction is startling. Much of the picturesque Pacific Palisades has been destroyed. In the neighborhood beside the sea, dozens of blocks were reduced to smoking ruins. In neighboring Malibu, blackened palm strands were all that was left above debris where oceanfront homes once stood.
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A minimum of five places of worship, a synagogue, seven educational institutions, two libraries, shops, pubs, eateries, banks, and supermarkets were set on fire. So too were the Will Rogers Western Ranch House and Topanga Ranch Motel,local landmarksdating to the 1920s.
The number of structures that burnt and the cost of the destruction have not yet been disclosed by the authorities.
Water is dropped by helicopter on the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (Photo by Ethan Swope for AP)
AccuWeather, a private company that provides data on weather and its impact, on Thursday increased its estimate of the damage and economic loss to $135-$150 billion.
Firefighters made significant gains Thursday at slowing the spread of the major fires, but containment remained far out of reach.
Crews also knocked down a blazein the Hollywood Hillswith the help of water drops from aircraft, allowing an evacuation to be lifted Thursday. The fire that sparked late Wednesday near the heart of the entertainment industry came perilously close to igniting the famed Hollywood Bowl outdoor concert venue.
The enormity of the destruction emerges
Earlier in the week, hurricane-force windsblew embers, that ignited hillsides.
Barbara Bruderlin, the head of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce, stated that it is currently impossible to measure the magnitude of the catastrophe aside than complete loss and devastation.
“In some places, everything is gone; not even a stick of wood remains; it’s just dirt,” Bruderlin remarked.
Beach front properties are left destroyed by the Palisades Fire, in this aerial view, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)AP
Of the 10 deaths so far, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley confirmed two were in the Palisades Fire. County officials said the Eaton Fire had killed five. Cadaver dogs and crews are searching through rubble to see if there are more victims.
Two of the dead were Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy. They were waiting for an ambulance to come and did not make it to safety when the flames roared through, Mitchell s daughter, Hajime White, told The Washington Post.
Shari Shaw toldKTLAthat she tried to get her 66-year-old brother, Victor Shaw, to evacuate Tuesday night but he wanted to stay and fight the fire. Crews found his body with a garden hose in his hand.
On Thursday, recovery crews pulled a body from rubble of what was a beachfront residence in Malibu. A charred washer and dryer were among the few things that remained identifiable in the home along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Homes are seen burned while a few still stand, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)AP
There have been evacuations, school closures and arrests
At least 180,000 people were under evacuation orders, and the fires have consumed about 45 square miles, which is roughly the size of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles history.
All schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation s second largest, will be closed again Friday because of the heavy smoke wafting over the city and ash raining down in parts.
At least 20 arrests have been made for looting. The city of Santa Monica, which is next to Pacific Palisades, declared a curfew because of the lawlessness, officials said.
National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday evening. They ll be stationed near fire-ravaged areas to protect property.
Actors among those who lost homes
Many celebrities live in areas devastated by fire.Among those who lost their homeswere Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton.
Jamie Lee Curtis pledged $1 million to start a fund of support for those affected by the fires that touched all economic levels from the city s wealthy to its working class.
An emergency vehicle drives through a neighborhood devastated by the Eaton Fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)AP
State seeing a longer fire season
California s wildfire seasonis beginning earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall tied to climate change, according to recent data.
Dry winds, includingthe notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, which has not seen more than 0.1 inches of rain since early May.
Some losses feel greater than others
Robert Lara sifted through the remains of his home in Altadena on Thursday with tears in his eyes, hoping to find a safe containing a set of earrings that once belonged to his great-great-grandmother.
All our memories, all our sentimental attachments, things that were gifted from generation to generation to generation are now gone, he said.
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