Deadly California wildfires
Firefighters in Southern California were struggling to contain several major wildfires in the Los Angeles area on Monday (January 13), and weather forecasters warned that a new round of strong winds could cause “explosive growth of fires.”
The National Weather Service warned that the most worrying time of the new strong wind threat will last from Monday night to Wednesday morning, with sustained winds expected to reach 80 kilometers per hour and gusts of about 110 kilometers per hour.
The forecast called it a “particularly dangerous situation” and designated it as a red flag warning.
There has been no significant rainfall in the area for more than eight months, and strong winds and dry weather have helped exacerbate the fires, which have killed at least 24 people and caused billions of dollars in losses since the fires began a week ago.
The winds briefly eased in recent days, and firefighters made some progress in controlling the fires with the help of airdrops of water and fire retardant.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said Monday that of the three fires still burning in the Los Angeles area, the Palisades fire has been contained at 14%, with a burned area of 96 square kilometers.
The Palisades Fire killed eight people in the Pacific Palisades area, officials said.
Further inland, the Eaton Fire in the North Pasadena and Altadena areas killed 16 people and was 33% contained as of Monday morning, burning nearly 23 square miles.
Sixteen people were also reported missing in both fire areas, and officials warned the death toll could rise.
Cal Fire said another fire, the Hurst Fire in the Sylmar area, was 89% contained after burning more than three square miles.
The ongoing fires and other contained fires have destroyed more than 12,000 structures.
This aerial photo shows the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, on January 10, 2025. The Palisades Fire reduced homes and businesses in the neighborhood to ruins. Beachfront homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire are seen along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, January 10, 2025. The wreckage of houses destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, January 11, 2025. The remains of the Palisades Branch Library after the Pacific Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 10, 2025. Cars are burned inside a car dealership after the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, January 10, 2025. The Elliott Arts Magnet School auditorium lies in ruins as wildfires sweep through Altadena, California, on January 9, 2025 A firefighter sets up a hose to battle the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon on January 11, 2025 in Los Angeles. A firefighting helicopter drops water as the Palisade Fire spreads near the communities of Mandeville Canyon and Encino, California, on January 11, 2025. Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire, one of the simultaneous blazes sweeping across Los Angeles County, as seen from the Tarzana neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, on January 11, 2025. An airplane descends from the sky amid billowing smoke from the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Los Angeles, California, January 11, 2025. Kaegan Barons mothers home was destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 11, 2025. Oliver Braren wipes his eyes as he inspects it. Pedram Salimpour and Stacy Weiss look over the ruins of a home destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 11, 2025. Neighbors hug Ivette Torres as she stands outside her home of 20 years, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, one of six fires simultaneously raging through Los Angeles County, in Altadena, Calif Firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department burn as the Palisades Fire rages in Mandeville Canyon, Los Angeles, California, January 11, 2025 National Guard soldiers stand at a checkpoint entering the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, as the Palisades Fire continues to burn on January 11, 2025. Jennifer McCullough of Marin County Search and Rescue inspects the remains of a burned building for hazards and remains during the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on January 11, 2025. People affected by the Eaton Fire look for donated clothing at a disaster relief distribution center at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, on January 11, 2025. People affected by the Eaton Fire receive supplies and clothing at a distribution center at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, on January 11, 2025. People hold signs to raise money for victims of the Eaton Fire in Pasadena, California, January 11, 2025
“We are heartbroken for the 24 innocent lives lost in the Los Angeles wildfires. Jill and I are praying for them and their loved ones. We are deeply saddened by the devastation caused by the unprecedented wildfires in Southern California,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.
Biden said he received frequent fire updates and directed federal agencies to provide California authorities with any assistance and equipment needed.
“Our nation’s gratitude goes to the brave firefighters and first responders who are working day and night to put out the fires and save lives,” Biden said. “You represent the best of America, and we appreciate you.”
About 100,000 people were still under evacuation orders Sunday evening, and officials said people were not allowed to return to fire-dangerous areas while new wind warnings remained in effect.
Some schools that were closed last week resumed classes on Monday. The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association also planned to resume home games on Monday after the two teams canceled their games due to wildfires. But a key NFL playoff game scheduled for Monday night involving the Los Angeles Rams was moved to neighboring Arizona.
Local officials worry that the spread of the fires could endanger more densely populated areas and some of the city’s major landmarks, including the J. Paul Getty Museum, which houses a famous art collection, and UCLA, one of the country’s top public universities.
California Governor Gavin Newsom told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the wildfires could be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, “in terms of the cost associated with it, the size, and the scope of it.”
AccuWeather’s preliminary estimates put the damage and economic losses so far at between $135 billion and $150 billion. The losses are so high in part because most of the homes burned are among the most expensive in the country.
Newsom called for an independent investigation into the cause of the fires, which at times left firefighters without water as they quickly spread out of control.
Newsom said he was asking the same questions people on the street were asking and shouting, “‘What happened? What happened to the water system?’
Newsom said he wanted to know if it was just a lack of water, “or was it the 99-mile-an-hour winds that played a role and there wasn’t more meaningful firefighting at the time?
Firefighters from California and nine other states are involved in the ongoing rescue operation, including 1,354 fire trucks, 84 aircraft, and more than 14,000 personnel, including firefighters who have just arrived from Mexico.
The U.S. Department of Defense said it has dispatched more than 1,800 California National Guard personnel to assist in extinguishing the fire and sent aircraft to drop water and fire retardant on the raging fire.
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