Governor Newsom declares state of emergency as wildfires threaten thousands of homes.
UPDATE Jan 9th, 10:30 AM EDT
President Joe Biden canceled his trip to Italy after returning from California on Wednesday evening to monitor the wildfire situation in Los Angeles County.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated late Wednesday, “President Biden made the decision to cancel his upcoming trip to Italy to remain focused on directing the full federal response in the days ahead.”
“I am being frequently briefed on the wildfires in west Los Angeles. My team and I are in touch with state and local officials,“ the president said. He added that his administration is “prepared to do anything and everything as long as it takes to contain these fires and help reconstruct, make sure we get to normal.”
Governor Gavin Newsom described the result of the fires as “just complete and utter devastation.“
Thousands of residents are under evacuation orders and red flag warnings are in place. At least five people have died due to the fires and over 4,000,000 are without power, according to the California Office of Emergency Services. Hydrants running dry have hindered firefighters’ efforts to contain the blazes.
The newest fire, the Sunset fire, began on Wednesday evening in Hollywood Hills. The fire has threatened the Hollywood Boulevard, which is under evacuation orders.
UPDATE Jan 8th, 5:15 PM EDT
President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for California on Wednesday due to the wildfires.
Fire department helicopters, which were grounded due to extreme winds, are back in the air, dropping water on the wildfires in Los Angeles County. Mayor Karen Bass called the sight from the air “scary” as she returned to Los Angeles from Ghana. Mayor Bass stated, “LAFD helicopters are back to dropping water and hundreds of firefighters continue to be on the scene to help respond to the Palisades fire and Hurst fire.”
The Palisades fire is estimated to have spread to more than 15,000 acres, and thousands of structures have been destroyed. An LA fire chief said, “High, high, high winds – I’ve never seen winds [like this] in my 25-year career. It’s an active, active fire fight with our firefighters, and they’re doing the very best to protect our people within this area.”
The Eaton fire now covers over 10,000 acres, with hundreds of structures burned and two people killed, and the Hurst fire has spread to 700 acres. Neither of the two has been contained. The smaller Woodley fire and the Tyler fire are reportedly contained.
Red flag warnings will remain in place until Thursday evening. Roughly 80,000 residents are under evacuation orders.
Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during a press conference that there are “not enough firefighters in L.A. County to address four separate fires of this magnitude.” He added, “The L.A. County Fire Department was prepared for one or two major brush fires, but not four, especially given the sustained winds and low humidity… This is not a normal red flag alert.”
UPDATE Jan 8th, 12:45 PM EDT
The Los Angeles County wildfires are 0 percent contained as high winds continued to spread the blazes. Now, fire department officials reported fire hydrants have run dry. Fire officials have called the windy conditions a “worst case scenario.“ The Palisades fire has spread to nearly 3,000 acres. Power outages are impacting roughly 200,000 people. Approximately 19 million residents are under a red flag warning.
The Department of Water and Power deployed water crews “to ensure the availability of water supplies.“ The department stated that the “area is served by water tanks and close coordination is underway to continue supplying the area.”
Nursing home facilities have also had to evacuate. Staff at a senior living center pushed residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a parking lot, waiting for buses and other transportation to relocate.
All off-duty LA firefighters have been recalled to help fight the wildfires. Observers have called the scenes in the Pacific Palisades “apocalyptic.“
Los Angeles Mayor Bass was in Africa as part of a presidential delegation when the wildfires began.
Some officials expressed dismay over the pause of prescribed burns of underbrush in California by the U.S. Forest Service in October 2024. While the agency stopped controlled burning to avoid the risk of wildfires, burn lines create fuel breaks that interrupt wildfires and support fire crew efforts.
UPDATE Jan 8th, 10:10 AM EDT
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency as the Palisades and Eaton fires burn. The Eaton fire spread through Pasadena and Altadena Tuesday night and early Wednesday, driven by strong winds. Over 30,000 residents have evacuated as hills and neighborhoods have been ablaze. Heavy evacuation traffic caused many to abandon their vehicles to escape on foot. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported over 10,000 homes are in danger.
The Hurst fire is also burning in Sylmar in the San Fernando Valley and a fourth fire, the Woodley fire, began Wednesday morning.
CalFire issued an update regarding the Palisades fire, “Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW. The area is lawfully closed to public access.”
The National Weather Service alert stated, “A very strong, widespread, and destructive north to northeast windstorm will bring Extremely Critical fire weather conditions to many areas of Los Angeles and eastern Ventura counties into early Wednesday afternoon. This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION (PDS) Red Flag Warning event in many areas, with the combination of very strong upper level wind support, tightening offshore pressure gradients… and moderate cold air advection.”
UPDATE Jan 7th, 6:30 PM EDT
The Pacific Palisades area is under evacuation orders as wind has spread a wildfire in Los Angeles, California. The fire, which began Tuesday morning, grew to over 1,260 acres in less than five hours.
The National Weather Service stated the Santa Ana windstorm may be the strongest in over a decade, with life-threatening and destructive wind gusts reaching 80-100 mph.
The Franklin Fire in Malibu burned 4,000 acres in December under similar wind conditions.
President Biden was scheduled to announce two new national monuments. He canceled the trip to Eastern Coachella Valley due to the dangerous winds.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For state and local leaders as they issue evacuations to keep residents safe.
- For people to heed evacuation orders and to escape the path of the wildfire.
- For those who have lost their homes, possessions, or loved ones.
- For peace, & provision for families, first responders, & communities.
- For the safety of firefighters and first responders as they seek to contain the wildfire.
Sources: AP News, KTLA, RedState, Townhall, CBS News, KQED, OAN, NBC News, Sky News, ABC7, CNN, The White House
