Here's the latest:
NHL postpones the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames
The Kings and Flames were set to play at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers are scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena on Thursday night.
“Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our fans, staff, and players safe.”
The NFL is also paying close attention to the potential impact of the fires on the two playoff-bound Los Angeles teams’ preparations and the Rams’ wild-card postseason game against the Minnesota Vikings scheduled for Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
The Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers both train in areas not threatened by fires, but both teams are monitoring the air quality and its potential impact on their preparations.
Critics Choice Awards postponed until Jan. 26
The awards were set to take place on Sunday at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, only miles from the Pacific Palisades neighborhood where fire was raging.
“This unfolding tragedy has already had a profound impact on our community. All our thoughts and prayers are with those battling the devastating fires and with all who have been affected,” said Critics Choice Association CEO Joey Berlin.
The awards will be broadcast live on E! and hosted by Chelsea Handler.
Biden heads back to Washington
After his briefing in Santa Monica, President Joe Biden flew on Marine One to Los Angeles International Airport for his flight back to Washington.
Reporters who accompanied Biden could see smoke from the windows of their Osprey aircraft.
The ride was bumpy as winds continued to be a challenge in the area.
Pacific Palisades fire is more destructive than 2008’s Sayre Fire
With an estimated 1,000 structures destroyed and the flames still growing on Wednesday, it is far more destructive than the second-most destructive, according to statistics kept by the Wildfire Alliance, a partnership between the city’s fire department and MySafe:LA.
Structures refers to homes and other buildings.
The last most destructive fire was the Sayre Fire in November 2008 that destroyed 604 structures in Sylmar, the northernmost suburb of the city.
Before that, a 1961 Bel Air fire stood for nearly half a century as the most destructive fire in the city’s history. It burned nearly 500 houses in the tony hillside enclave, including the homes of actor Burt Lancaster, Zsa Zsa Gabor and other celebrities.
Los Angeles firefighting aircraft resume flights
Aircraft had been grounded due to extreme winds, dramatically hampering the firefight.
Los Angeles City Fire Capt. Jacob Raabe said aircraft resumed dropping fire retardant and water on the Palisades Fire at around 7 a.m. Wednesday.
Biden attends briefing on California wildfires
“It’s going to take time,” President Joe Biden warned when talking about the recovery from the wildfires during a briefing at a Santa Monica fire station on Wednesday.
Newsom, who stood next to Biden, thanked him for his support.
“It’s impossible for me to express the level of appreciation,” he said.
Kristin Crowley, the Los Angeles fire chief, said her team knew there was a “significant threat” from the Pacific Palisades fire as soon as it started because of the “high, high, high winds.”
Crowley said she’d never seen anything like the wind conditions in her 25 years of experience.
The Eaton Fire could become historic
The Eaton Fire stands to become the largest wildfire to burn in California during the month of January in the past 41 years.
The fire, which ignited on Tuesday north of Pasadena, has now burned more than 16 1/2 square miles (42.9 square kilometers), according to state fire personnel.
Federal data shows just six wildfires have burned more than two square miles (5.18 square kilometers) in the month of January in California since 1984.
The largest was the Viejas Fire, which burned 17.1 square miles (44.3 square km) in 2001 in the mountains east of San Diego.
More recently, the Colby Fire burned just over 3 square miles (8.2 square kilometers) near Glendora, California in 2014.
Since 2014, wildfires of any size in January have been uncommon, with the exception of 2021 and this year, according to CalFire data.
The Altadena Golf Course has been destroyed
Johnny Eusebio, general manager of the Altadena Golf Course, said the course was lost to the fire.
A video posted on social media shows smoldering buildings surrounded by debris and flames and a tattered flag flapping in the wind.
Excess water demand caused fire hydrants to run dry
For roughly 15 hours, water systems faced four times more than normal demand, lowering water pressure and causing some fire hydrants to run dry, according to officials from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Demand was so high that it wasn’t enough to fill the three, one-million-gallon (3,785,411-liter) tanks that help maintain pressure for the hydrants in the hills of Palisades.
One tank ran out late Tuesday afternoon, another in the evening, and the third early Wednesday morning.
LADWP is sending in about 20 mobile water tankers to the area to help with suppression, in addition to refilling water trucks at some pressurized hydrants in the area, according to chief engineer Janisse Quiñones.
It takes about 30 minutes to refill about 4000 gallons (15,142 liters) of water.
County officials urge residents to conserve water for firefighters
Municipal water systems are not designed to fight wildfires, said Mark Pestrella, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.
“That’s why air support is so critical to the firefight. And unfortunately, wind and air visibility have prevented that support,” Pestrella said. County and city reservoirs are ready to be used to fight fires from the air once it becomes safe to fly, he said.
Officials are urging residents across the region to conserve water so there’s enough for firefighters to use.
“We’re fighting a wildfire with urban water systems, and that is really challenging,” chief engineer Janisse Quiñones said.
Trump blames Gov. Newsom for the wildfires
The president-elect, in a post on Truth Social, his social media network on Wednesday, renewed old criticisms against the governor for resisting a plan to send more water to the state’s agricultural Central Valley because of concerns it would imperil endangered species.
Trump has sided with farmers over environmentalists in a long-running dispute over California’s scarce water resources, but it’s not clear how his plan could have mitigated the firestorm in the Los Angeles area.
“He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California,” Trump said in his post Wednesday. “Now the ultimate price is being paid.”
His comments came after some fire hydrants across Los Angeles County ran out of water amid the overnight firefight.
Officials from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works said that was due to an overwhelming demand on the municipal water system not designed to fight wildfire.
Santa Anita racetrack safe from Eaton fire so far
Santa Anita Park in Arcadia has canceled training today and is continuing to monitor air quality.
The track’s fire marshal, in coordination with local authorities, says there is no direct threat to the track, which is currently outside the voluntary evacuation zone.
The 90-year-old racetrack is located just south of the Eaton fire.
Embers and smoke are being pushed into the San Gabriel Mountains and away from Santa Anita.
Track management is offering to pay to relocate horses if trainers want to move them because of poor air quality. Racing is currently scheduled for Friday through Sunday.
Getty Villa spared in Palisades fire so far
The Getty Villa, a campus devoted to the art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome, says its structures and collection remain safe from the Palisades fire.
The institution, which is located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, provided an update on Wednesday morning. J. Paul Getty Trust President and CEO Katherine E. Fleming says the center will remain closed.
The Getty Center, a hilltop museum about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east, is out of the fire zone but will be closed until at least Sunday to help alleviate traffic in the area.
The Palisades fire is one of several burning in the Los Angeles area, with officials saying more than 1,000 structures have burned and two people have been killed.
Universal Studios Hollywood, an amusement park near the Hollywood Hills, said it would be closed Wednesday.
Air quality in the Los Angeles area is at a hazardous level
The air quality index for most of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Wednesday morning was well over 300, which is considered hazardous to the general public, according to AirNow.gov.
At that level, people are advised to stay indoors and reduce activity levels.
Fire hydrants in Palisades turn to a trickle
“We pushed the system to the extreme,” said Janisse Quiñones, CEO of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. “Four times the normal demand was seen for 15 hours straight, which lowered our water pressure.”
The utility was pushing water from its source into the system, but demand was so high that it wasn’t enough to fill three, one-million-gallon tanks that help maintain pressure for the hydrants in the hills of Palisades.
One tank ran out at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, one at 8:30 pm and the third at 3 a.m. on Wednesday.
Officials are urging residents across the region to conserve water so there’s enough for firefighters to use.
“We’re fighting a wildfire with urban water systems, and that is really challenging,” Quiñones said.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is closed
Only essential workers will be allowed in, according to an emergency notice from NASA.
The fire is “very close to the lab,” but there’s been no fire damage yet, the center’s director, Laurie Leshin, wrote in a post on the social platform X.
However, there has been some wind damage, wrote Leshin.
She added that hundreds of NASA employees at the lab have had to evacuate from their homes.
The research lab near Pasadena, California, is known for building and sending robotic spacecraft to Mars and the outer solar system.
GoFundMe has centralized all fundraisers related to the wildfires
The crowdfunding site also has a California Wildfire Relief Fund that will be distributed to people seeking help through GoFundMe fundraisers and nonprofits providing relief, the company said.
Pasadena synagogue caught fire, executive director says
Melissa Levy, the executive director of Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, said staff evacuated on Tuesday night and the synagogue’s Torah scrolls were taken to the home of a community member.
Levy said it appears the synagogue caught fire and buildings have burned.
“We are still assessing the situation and right now our primary focus is on our community members and their safety as many of them have also lost their homes,” Levy said in an email.
Caltech closes its Pasadena campus
Classes were canceled on Wednesday due to the fires and strong winds, the university said on its website.
Thousands are told to leave
Officials have said about 30,000 residents are under evacuation orders. And more than 13,000 structures are under threat.
The evacuation orders affect areas including the Pacific Palisades neighborhood near the sea, areas north of Pasadena and part of the San Fernando Valley.
Other areas are under evacuation warnings that say people who need additional time to evacuate should get moving.
Over 1,000 structures destroyed by wildfires, 2 dead
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said two people were killed and many others hurt in the fires, which have destroyed more than 1,000 structures.
Where are the fires currently burning?
Palisades fire: West of Los Angeles, by the sea. It has burned about 4.5 square miles (11.6 square kilometers).
Eaton fire: Altadena area, north of Pasadena. It has burned about 1.6 square miles (4 square kilometers).
Hurst fire: In the San Fernando Valley. It has burned about 500 acres (202 hectares).
Woodley fire: In the San Fernando Valley. It has burned about 75 acres (30 hectares).
All four fires are currently at 0% containment.
Celebrities among those fleeing the Los Angeles fires
Wildfires that ripped through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles forced many Hollywood stars, including Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods, to evacuate their homes.
California firefighters are battling wind-whipped wildfires that are tearing across the area, destroying homes and straining resources as the fires burned uncontained early Wednesday.
The Pacific Palisades neighborhood is a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences and memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin’ USA.”
Flames jumped the famous Sunset Boulevard and burned parts of the Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie,” the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday” and the TV series “Teen Wolf.”
▶ Read more about the stars whose homes are threatened by the fires
Daybreak sheds light on the destruction
As the sun rose Wednesday the devastation was stunning with morning news crews showing home after home engulfed in flames, some collapsing live on camera.
Roads were strewn with power lines, some flickering with fire.
Voices from the flames
The sun is rising behind a wall of smoke in the Pacific Palisades that looks as black as night. Here’s what witnesses have been saying.
“We looked across and the fire had jumped from one side of the road to the other side of the road,” Kelsey Trainor said. “People were getting out of the cars with their dogs and babies and bags, they were crying and screaming.”
“As soon as I opened my door, it was like right there,” Sheriece Wallace said. “The first thing I did was look at the trees to see where the wind was blowing. Because it hit me. It blew me back.”
“It is crazy, it’s everywhere, in all the nooks and crannies of the Palisades. One home’s safe, the other one’s up in flames,” Will Adams said.
What should be in a ‘Go bag’?
Cal Fire says a “go bag” should include:
— A map with at least two evacuation routes
— Necessary prescriptions or medical items like eyeglasses
— Extra car keys, cash or credit cards
— A basic first-aid kit
— A flashlight and battery-powered radio with extra batteries
— Copies of important documents like passports or birth certificates.
It should also include a three-day supply of non-perishable food and water per person, as well as food and water for any pets. N95 masks can help filter out many of the particles in wildfire smoke, and an extra cellphone battery or charger can also be helpful.
“Plan like you’re going on a trip for seven days. Have clothes, toilet paper, toothbrush, soap, a towel in there,” said Jesse Torres, a battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said.
Safety tips on what to do before and when evacuating
1. Sign up for regional alerts. Many communities, including several in California, have warning alert systems that allow residents to sign up for push notifications to their mobile phones or email accounts.
2. Have an emergency action plan. Household emergency action plans help ensure that all members of a family know exactly what to do and where to go during a wildfire.
3. Pack a “Go Bag” or emergency supply kit.
4. Protect your home. If time allows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends connecting water hoses and filling garbage cans, tubs, pools and the like with water to help firefighters if they end up on your property.
5. Don’t wait for an evacuation order — just go.
Don’t wait for an evacuation order, experts say
Evacuating a wildfire area can be scary, but experts say people can significantly improve their own safety with a little preparation and common sense.
Creating a wildfire action plan, packing a “go bag” and maintaining basic situational awareness during evacuations can make a big difference when escaping a disaster, Jesse Torres, a battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said.
But the most important tip? Don’t wait around for an evacuation order, Torres said.
“The biggest thing is to get out early, before the notifications come out. It’s so important to avoid the congestion,” he said.
A city aglow
The morning sky is lightening, and soon the scope of the devastation will be more clear. Some hillsides are glowing from the scattered fires.
When does California’s wildfire season typically begin?
Generally, it starts in June or July and runs through October, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association.
However, January wildfires are not unprecedented — there was one in 2022 and 10 in 2021, according to CalFire.
Strong Santa Ana winds are driving the fires
The National Weather Service is receiving reports of winds up to 80 mph (129 kph) this morning. They could top 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills and include areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months.
Red flag warnings are highlighting extremely critical fire weather conditions. Those include exceptionally dry relative humidity levels, according to Peter Mullinax, a meteorologist with the weather service.
He says the winds are expected to continue into Thursday, too, “providing very little in terms of any relief.”
