LA area's 2 biggest blazes burn at least 10,000 structures, while new
fire leads to more evacuations
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[January 10, 2025]
By JAIMIE DING, JULIE WATSON and JOHN SEEWER
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The two biggest wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles
area have killed at least 10 people and burned more than 10,000 homes
and other structures, officials said as they urged more people to heed
evacuation orders after a new blaze ignited and quickly grew.
The Kenneth Fire started in the late Thursday afternoon in the San
Fernando Valley just 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from a school serving as a
shelter for evacuees from another fire. It moved into neighboring
Ventura County but a large and aggressive response by firefighters
stopped the flames from spreading.
About 400 firefighters remained on scene overnight to guard against the
fire flaring up.
Only hours before the Kenneth Fire roared to life officials expressed
encouragement after firefighters aided by calmer winds and help from
crews from outside the state saw the first signs of successfully beating
back the region’s two devastating wildfires.
The Eaton Fire near Pasadena that started Tuesday night has burned more
than 5,000 structures, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings,
businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. Firefighters were able to
establish the first bit of containment Thursday.
To the west in Pacific Palisades, the largest of the fires burning in
the LA area has destroyed over 5,300 structures and firefighters had no
containment.
All of the major fires that have broken out this week are located in a
roughly 25-mile (40-kilometer) band north of downtown Los Angeles,
spreading a sense of fear and sadness across the nation’s second-largest
city. No cause has been identified for the largest fires.
Several weather monitoring agencies announced Friday that Earth recorded
its hottest year ever in 2024. “Hurricane Helene, floods in Spain and
the weather whiplash fueling wildfires in California are symptoms of
this unfortunate climate gear shift,” University of Georgia meteorology
professor Marshall Shepherd said.
The level of devastation is jarring even in a state that has grown used
to massive wildfires. A large portion of scenic Pacific Palisades has
been obliterated. Dozens of blocks in the seaside neighborhood were
flattened to smoldering rubble. In neighboring Malibu, blackened palm
strands were all that was left above debris where oceanfront homes once
stood.
At least five churches, a synagogue, seven schools, two libraries,
boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and groceries were burned. So too
were the Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and Topanga Ranch Motel, local
landmarks dating to the 1920s.
The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage or
specifics about how many structures burned.
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 blaze in the Hollywood Hills with 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 winds blew embers, that ignited
hillsides.
Right now, it’s impossible to quantify the extent of the destruction
other than “total devastation and loss,” said Barbara Bruderlin, head of
the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce.
“There are areas where everything is gone, there isn’t even a stick of
wood left, it’s just dirt,” Bruderlin said.
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.
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Firefighters look out over the Kenneth Fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025,
in the West Hills section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
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 told KTLA that 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.
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 (117 square kilometers), 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 homes were 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.
State seeing a longer fire season
California’s wildfire season is beginning earlier and ending later
due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall tied to climate
change, according to recent data.
Dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to
warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, which has
not seen more than 0.1 inches (2.5 millimeters) 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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Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio, and Watson from San Diego.
Associated Press journalists Manuel Valdes, Eugene Garcia, Krysta
Fauria and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Ethan Swope in
Pasadena, California; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Mark Thiessen in
Anchorage, Alaska; Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; Jeff
Martin in Atlanta; Janie Har in San Francisco; Brian Melley in
London; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Sarah Brumfield
in Cockeysville, Maryland; and Tammy Webber in Detroit contributed.
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