Home Climate Change California fires live: 6m people under critical fire threat as dangerous winds expected; governor says conditioning aid ‘un-American’ | California wildfires

California fires live: 6m people under critical fire threat as dangerous winds expected; governor says conditioning aid ‘un-American’ | California wildfires

by Editor

Risk of ‘rapid fire spread’ as near hurricane-force winds forecast in some areas

Forecasters have warned of another “particularly dangerous weather situation” across northern Los Angeles where residents are braced for new wildfire evacuation orders.

Los Angeles, and parts of Ventura county to the north, faced “extreme fire risk” warnings through Wednesday, with officials warning of “significant risk of rapid fire spread” due to the Santa Ana winds – which have gusts of up to 75mph.

The “particularly dangerous weather situation” designation is used very rarely, and was designed by meteorologists to signal “the extreme of the extremes”. The winds were predicted to reach near hurricane-force in some areas.

This is the fourth time in recent months that Los Angeles has faced a “particularly dangerous weather situation”, and the three previous warnings all resulted in major wildfires, the Los Angeles Times reported.

“I don’t want people to start thinking everything’s OK now. Everything’s not OK yet,” the Los Angeles county sheriff, Robert Luna, said in a Tuesday morning press conference. “It is still very dangerous for the next 24 hours.”

California fires live: 6m people under critical fire threat as dangerous winds expected; governor says conditioning aid ‘un-American’ | California wildfires
LA county sheriff, Robert Luna, speaks at a press conference in downtown Los Angeles, on Tuesday. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Meanwhile, the official death toll from last week’s fires in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades is expected to rise.

Here is the latest on the evolving situation in southern California:

  • As of Tuesday morning, 84,800 people had been warned they might be ordered to evacuate because of fire risk, while another 88,000 people remained under current evacuation orders.

  • On Tuesday afternoon, officials said at least 25 people had died from the fires, but this number is expected to rise. At least two dozen people have been reported missing, 18 of them in the Eaton fire in north-east Los Angeles, and six around the Pacific Palisades.

  • More than 12,000 structures had been destroyed. Estimates put the cost of damage at about $250bn, which could make it the costliest fire in American history.

  • Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, and other officials – who have faced criticism over their initial response to the fires – expressed confidence that the region was ready to face the new threat with scores of additional firefighters brought in from around the US, as well as from Canada and Mexico. At a press conference, Bass described the level of destruction across parts of the city as the aftermath of a “dry hurricane”, and pledged that city officials would work hard to reduce the bureaucracy residents may face as they start to recover from the fires.

  • More than 75,000 households, most of them in Los Angeles county, were without power on Tuesday morning, but Southern California Edison had warned nearly half a million customers on Monday that their power may be shut off temporarily because of the expected high winds on Tuesday and Wednesday.

  • As of midday on Tuesday:

    • The Palisades fire, at 23,700 acres and 17% containment.

    • The Eaton fire, at 14,100 acres and 35% containment.

    • The Hurst fire, at nearly 800 acres and 97% containment.

    • The new Auto fire, which broke out on Monday night in Ventura, is now fully contained, and no evacuation orders remain in effect.

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Key events

Los Angeles Police Department chief Jim McDonnell says of the 38 people intially reported missing, 27 have been found safe.

Of the 11 remaining, 2 are most likely deceased but have yet to be positively identified.

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The LA county sheriff, Robert Luna, gave an update on missing persons:

Thirty-one were originally reported missing, but five people were found safe. However, 20 are still missing in the Eaton area and another six are still missing in the Palisades area.

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44 people arrested for burglary, curfew violations or other offences

The total number of arrests for the LA county sheriff’s jurisdiction is 44 – 36 in the Eaton incident and 8 in the Palisades incident. Fourteen of these arrests were for burglary. Other arrests were made for curfew violations, trespassing or possession of narcotics.

An individual was also arrested for impersonating a firefighter.

Eighty-two thousand people remain under evacuation warnings. The curfew is still in effect from 6am to 6pm.

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Crowley reiterated downed power lines, broken gas lines, and unsafe water are just some of the challenges that are preventing people from returning to their homes and communities.

“Please know we are working diligently to address these challenges and ensure your safety and the safety of our first responders.”

The Los Angeles fire chief, Kristin Crowley, is now giving her update.

She spoke about another brush fire that broke out in the Lake View Terrace area of the city. The fire was aggressively attacked and all forward progress was stopped within 34 minutes. No structural damage occurred.

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Critical fire weather conditions will continue through this evening. Officials warn the region is still at risk for 70mph winds.

  • The Eaton fire is 45% contained, with 14,117 acres burned

  • The Palisades fire is 19% contained, with 23,713 acres burned.

There has been little to no fire growth on both incidents, officials say.

As the Los Angeles wildfire spread closer to his home, George Elmaraghi was anxiously waiting for an evacuation order.

“When I saw the fire, from our backyard, almost parallel to our house. I was like, ‘OK, we gotta go’.”

George’s home in Altadena was destroyed in what is now the city’s most destructive wildfire. That fire is still burning and George and his family, along with 150,000 other displaced people, are now grappling with trauma, homelessness, insurance claims and the ultimate decision of whether to rebuild or walk away.

For Gabrielle Canon, the Guardian’s extreme weather correspondent, this unprecedented fire must be understood as a compound climate disaster: the disastrous end result of a chain of events exacerbated by the climate crisis.

Gabrielle explains to Michael Safi why popular anger is growing around the Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, and unpacks the potential climate crisis implications of incoming US president Donald Trump’s record on misinformation, fossil fuel extraction and federal disaster response.

Listen to the full episode below:

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Here are some updated Eaton fire stats:

  • There are a total 3,392 personnel assigned to the Eaton fire

  • 274 engines have been deployed, along with 21 dozers, 77 water tenders, and 16 helicopters

  • 6 firefighters have been injured

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The Eaton fire is now 45% contained

The fire, which began near Eaton Canyon in Pasadena, California, last Tuesday, has burned 14,117 acres (5,713 hectares). More than 4,000 structures have been damaged. But more progress has been made in containing the fire, officials say. It’s now 45% contained – up from 35% early this morning.

“Today’s efforts are focused on mop up and reinforcing containment lines to ensure perimeter control,” Angeles National Forest officials say in a statement. “Hazard trees along roadways are being mitigated to protect both firefighters and the public.”

Officials say the fire is expected to remain within its current footprint and aircraft will continue to drop fire retardant in inaccessible areas.

“Contingency resources are strategically prepositioned and ready to respond throughout communities along the fire’s western edge to due to the Santa Ana wind conditions.”

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Sam Levin

Sam Levin

As firefighters are battling multiple huge blazes tearing through Los Angeles, California’s prisons have deployed more than 1,000 incarcerated people to battle on the frontlines.

The California department of corrections and rehabilitation (CDCR) said that, as of Tuesday morning, 1,015 incarcerated people were embedded with the state’s other firefighters to help slow the spread of the infernos that have killed at least 25 people and devastated neighborhoods across LA county.

More than 20 incarcerated crews have been deployed over the last week, dressed in orange uniforms and working in perilous conditions. They primarily use hand tools to cut fire lines and remove fuel by structures.

Japan will contribute $2m in aid to California to assist in the recovery from recent wildfires, the country’s ministry of foreign affairs announced on Wednesday

“Japan will actively provide assistance for the relief of the victims and the earliest possible recovery of the affected areas,” the ministry said.

The assistance will be given through the American Red Cross.

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More than 90,000 people in southern California still without power

92,000 southern California customers are without power, according to poweroutage.us.

These impacted customers are in Ventura, San Bernadino, Riverside, and San Diego counties.

A “particularly dangerous situation” – the most extreme advance warning, that can be issued for expected weather hazards by the National Weather Service – is in place for parts of southern California, like Ventura county. A combination of damaging winds, low humidity, and dry vegetation means this region remains at high risk of extreme fire behavior and very rapid growth.

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The Altadena post office was damaged from the Eaton fire and the Pacific Palisades post office was damaged from the Palisades fire.

A full list of relocated post offices can be found on the USPS’s website here.

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Many aspects of life have been impacted by the California fires, including the ability to send and receive mail.

The United States postal service issued a statement on the critical situation: “The wildfires burning in Southern California are a catastrophic disaster, disrupting services and operations for many organizations – including the Postal Service’s ability to deliver mail and packages – across the Los Angeles region. During this time, the Postal Service’s primary focus is to maintain the safety and security of our employees, while ensuring that customers affected by the ‘California Wildfires’ receive their mail and packages as swiftly as possible.”

USPS said it is working around the clock to restore operations wherever safely possible, but adding that “the full recovery of service to the impacted areas may stretch forward for some time.”

The United States Postal Service logo is seen on a mailbox outside a post office in Los Angeles, California. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

California state and local leadership and the Los Angeles fire department have been criticised for not preparing enough for these wildfires. The fires, while unprecedented, were not a total surprise.

Despite extraordinary warnings of life-threatening winds, fire officials did not order firefighters to remain on duty for a second shift last Tuesday as the winds were building and deployed just five of more than 40 available engines, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The department, the LA Times reports, sent more firefighters and engines only after the Palisades fire was burning out of control.

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