Fire chief warns Angelenos to prepare for possible Santa Ana winds next week
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley urged people to “remain ready” for another round of powerful winds that could potentially move through the region early next week.
“There are more extreme winds on the horizon,” Crowley said, referencing the Santa Ana winds possibly forecast to arrive Monday and Tuesday. “It is important that you protect yourselves and your family by planning, preparing and staying aware.”
Addressing L.A. residents whose neighborhoods have not been impacted by the current fires, Crowley added that “flying embers from a wildfire can destroy homes over a mile away.” Taking steps to prepare ahead of time could increase the chances of a home surviving a wildfire, the fire chief said.
2 additional deaths confirmed Wednesday, sheriff says
Los Angeles County authorities confirmed two additional deaths tied to the wildfires Wednesday, said Sheriff Robert Luna. Search and rescue teams discovered one of the deceased in the Eaton Fire area and the other in the Palisades Fire area.
“We continue to work with multiple partners, not only in the recovery of remains, but then ultimately the identification of the deceased and then the notification to the next of kin,” Luna said at a news conference.
He said crews probing the fire damage believe they will find more remains as search operations continue and are maintaining evacuation orders around sites where the remains may be.
“As we’re going through some of these grids, there are areas that we are holding because we believe there are deceased victims there,” Luna said. “We have to hold for the right time and the right resources to process the scene correctly, and that’s going to take a little while. Please be patient with us.”
82,400 under evacuation orders, 90,440 under warnings
There are 82,400 people under mandatory evacuation orders Thursday in Los Angeles County, said Sheriff Robert Luna at a news conference. Another 90,440 are under evacuation warnings.
“Please keep up with the information we’re putting out because that could change,” said Luna. “Hopefully for the better, but we’ll see what happens.”
L.A. County sheriff: 47 arrested, curfew remains in effect
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said 47 arrests have been made so far amid the fires in the areas the department covers.
Most of those arrests — 36 — were made in the Eaton Fire area, while 11 were made in the Palisades Fire area, he said.
Luna urged people who “don’t belong” in fires zones to “not go there,” and said a 6 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew remains in effect for the areas.
Last 24 hours has seen “little to no fire growth,” with Palisades as exception
The last 24 hours has seen “little to no fire growth” in the L.A.-area wildfires, although the Palisades Fire is an exception, an official said at a news conference Thursday morning. Several interior pockets in the Palisades Fire are burning.
The Palisades Fire was 23,713 acres, with 22% containment as of Thursday morning.
Fire containment – latest numbers
Crews are steadily working to contain three wildfires in Los Angeles County and one in Ventura on Thursday. Another blaze, the Little Mountain Fire, broke out Wednesday in San Bernardino and spread over 34 acres. Cal Fire said the Little Mountain Fire stopped growing hours after it started, but none of it is contained as of Thursday morning.
The Palisades Fire in western L.A. has burned 23,713 acres, and 22% is contained, according to Cal Fire. On the other side of the county, the Eaton Fire covers 14,117 acres with 55% containment. Firefighters have also contained 98% of the Hurst Fire, at 799 acres. Those blazes haven’t expanded in several days.
In Ventura County, firefighters have contained 85% of the Auto Fire, which broke out Monday and covers 61 acres, Cal Fire said.
Burn zones face landslide threats
Los Angeles burn zones are facing a new threat: landslides.
One Pacific Palisades home that survived the Palisades Fire was later split in half by a landslide, CBS News Los Angeles’ Rick Montanez reported. Video of the damage shows the structure of the ranch-style house cracked vertically from the roof to its base, with one side sliding down the hill where the home stood.
It was unclear when exactly the landslide occurred.
The one-bedroom home had been listed as a 1,000-square-foot rental on Zillow just over two months ago, going for $14,000 a month.
While no rain is in the forecast, mudslides and debris flows are among the concerns for fire-stricken communities when rain eventually does arrive.
Wind siege ends for L.A. fire areas, cooler temperatures ahead
The National Weather Service said Thursday that the “nine-day wind siege has finally ended,” offering relief to the fire-torn Los Angeles region. This comes after a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” red flag warning expired Wednesday evening.
The region will now see a “significant cooling trend through the weekend,” according to the weather service. Humidity levels will rise, alleviating the dry conditions that helped fuel the spread of wildfires over the past week.
“By Thursday afternoon, a solid onshore flow will be arriving along the coast and working its way inland through the rest of the day, finally bringing this long offshore stretch to an end.”
For Friday and the weekend, much cooler temperatures are expected.
Map shows fires today
A map from Cal Fire shows the wildfires burning in Southern California as of the department’s latest update.
The map shows the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Auto and Little Mountain fires.
Cal Fire
L.A. Clippers owner donates $15 million for wildfire recovery
Steve Ballmer, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team, donated $15 million to wildfire recovery efforts and organizations currently supporting the communities impacted. The funds are particularly focused on providing assistance in Altadena, where the deadly Eaton Fire originated and caused significant damage.
“We love L.A. and are committed to supporting the communities affected by the devastating wildfires,” Steve and Connie Ballmer said in a statement released Wednesday through the Ballmer Group, a philanthropic organization. “In coordination with our local partners, Ballmer Group will contribute to addressing immediate food and shelter needs in the community and supporting our first responders.”
Ballmer Group shared a list of organizations and relief initiatives that will receive portions of the donation.
Some red flag warnings still in effect until 3 p.m.
While most red flag warnings that were issued for parts of Southern California have expired, red flag warnings for the Santa Susana Mountains, western San Gabriel Mountains and the I-5 Corridor remain in effect until 3 p.m. local time Thursday.
“Offshore Santa Ana winds will continue to diminish for the majority of the area, however winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph will continue into Thursday afternoon for the Western San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Susana Mountains, and I-5 Corridor,” the National Weather Service said.
The weather service says “things are starting to look better in terms of the forecast across California and the areas that have been devastated by the ongoing wildfires.”
“Even though no rain is in the forecast, the winds are expected to switch to a more onshore flow late Thursday and into Friday, bringing higher relative humidities and less chaotic wind flow, thus helping to mitigate the wildfire threat compared to recent days,” it says.
Safety concerns linger as some evacuees begin returning home
As some evacuees from the Eaton and Palisades fires began returning home this week after their neighborhoods were decimated by wildfires, health officials warned there was still plenty cause for concern.
Air quality and safety are top-of-mind for returnees.
“Our house is standing,” said Zoe Kahn, who had to flee from her Pasadena home. “But, there’s significant smoke damage.”
“We are having our house professionally cleaned, and then hiring an industrial hygienist to assess any toxins that are in the home still so that we can make sure it’s safe for us to move back in,” she said.
The Kahns are among many families concerned about what they can’t see and dangerous chemicals that may remain.
“We do not emphasize enough that you are breathing in particles that you cannot see,” said Jane Williams, the Executive Director of the California Communities Against Toxics during a webinar with air quality and public health experts on Wednesday. “The air quality index does not tell you they’re there. But when you breathe them in, even for relatively short periods of time, they get lodged inside your lungs and have enormous public health impacts.”
