Evacuations ordered in fast-growing Eaton fire
Evacuations have been ordered as the Eaton fire near Altadena is growing rapidly, doubling in size to 400 acres, fanned by strong winds.
Mandatory evacuations North of New York Drive, East of Altadena Drive, West of Sierra Madre Villa Ave.
Pasadena Fire, US Forest Service & LA County Fire in Unified Command. Over 200 acres spreading at rapid growth.
Mass Care and Sheltering being established.
We will⦗ Angeles National Forest (@Angeles_NF) January 8, 2025
Key events
Families tell of last-minute escape from California wildfire
Lois Beckett
In the past few months, Jon Oeiâs parents, who live in the highlands of the Pacific Palisades, have received multiple wildfire evacuation orders, the most recent in the early hours of New Yearâs Eve, he said.
So on Tuesday, when a wildfire began not far from the familyâs home, they did not immediately evacuate.
By 10:30 am however, they could see âsmoke coming over the top of the hill,â the 35-year-old said. The fire, ignited as a ferocious windstorm whipped the region, was rapidly growing.
Oei was staying with his parents, and he knew the one main road going out of their neighborhood would be snarled with traffic following the first evacuation order. Soon, videos showed long traffic jams as residents tried to evacuate, empty cars lining some roads as people gave up the wait and continued on foot.
âI think a lot of people ignore the first call,â he said. âYou get stuck. There you see people abandoning their cars.â
Meanwhile, the wind was also pushing the fire in the opposite direction from his parentsâ home, Oei said. So they waited.
It was not until after 5pm, he said, that they finally decided to flee. The family could see the fire coming over the Malibu side of the hills, which meant that the single road out of the community risked being cut off by fire.
A separate fire in Pasadena, the Bert fire, had expanded to three acres just before 10 pm on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reports, citing the county fire department.
The fire is in east Pasadena, near San Gabriel, several miles from the Eaton fire.
Authorities say they are responding to a separate brushfire about 30 acres in size.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards has cancelled its live in-person nominations announcement that were scheduled for tomorrow due to the wildfires and strong winds in Los Angeles.
Instead, it said in a statement, nominees will be unveiled via press release and its website tomorrow morning.
The affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which borders Malibu about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of downtown LA, includes hillside streets of tightly packed homes along winding roads nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains and stretches down to beaches along the Pacific Ocean. It is also home to many Hollywood celebrities, some of whom have been posting about their experiences on social media.
Mark Hamill, of Star Wars fame, posted a âpersonal fire updateâ saying he evacuated Malibu so last-minute that he saw âsmall fires on both sides of the roadâ.
Actor James Woods posted footage of flames burning through bushes and past palm trees on a hill near his home. The towering orange flames billowed among the landscaped yards between the homes.
âStanding in my driveway, getting ready to evacuate,â Woods said in the short video on X.
Actor Eugene Levy, the honorary mayor of Pacific Palisades, evacuated earlier on Tuesday, telling the Los Angeles Times while stuck in traffic, âThe smoke looked pretty black and intense.â
Extreme winds have forced authorities to ground firefighting helicopters.
Firefighting helicopters for the Palisades fire were grounded shortly before 8pm, according to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles fire department, while strong winds have also forced officials to suspend air coverage fighting the Eaton fire in Altadena for the night, a city spokesperson said.
Officials had warned of this probable outcome at a news conference earlier this afternoon, with forecasted strong winds anticipated to make water bombs and fire retardants dropped from the air less effective.
Vice-president Kamala Harris has released a statement:
My heart goes out to all those being impacted by the devastating wildfires in Southern California. Doug and I are praying for our fellow Californians who have evacuated, and we are thinking of the families whose homes, businesses, and schools remain in harmâs way. We are deeply grateful for the heroic first responders who are risking their own safety to fight the flames and help keep communities safe.
â¦
As a proud daughter of California, I know the damage that wildfires have on our neighbors and communities. I also know that the impact is often felt long after the fire is contained. As we respond and as Californians recover, I will ensure that our administration is in constant contact with state and local officials.
Firefighters are in for a long night, with already extreme wind conditions expected to get worse, Los Angeles county fire department captain Sheila Kelliher has warned.
Kelliher said the terrain and wind combined created a âmassive fight.â Complicating matters is the nature of the wind, which âdoesnât just stay at one direction,â she told CNN.
âJust when you think you know what the fire is going to do, it swirls around and comes behind you. Itâs definitely erratic, I think is one of the best words I can use to describe this wind, and it is strong.â
Santa Ana winds are common in southern California during cooler months and have fueled many of the Golden stateâs most ferocious wildfires.
What are the Santa Ana winds?
Santa Anas are dry, warm and gusty northeast winds that blow from the interior of southern California toward the coast and offshore, moving in the opposite direction of the normal onshore flow that carries moist air from the Pacific into the region.
Why do they increase wildfire danger?
Humidity levels often plunge to single-digit percentages during a Santa Ana wind. The extreme lack of humidity in the air causes vegetation â living and dead â to significantly dry out and become susceptible to fire.
The tremendous wind speeds can stoke any spark â from a fallen power line to a cigarette bud â into a rapidly spreading conflagration.
Santa Anas are linked to some of the worst wildfires southern California has experienced, including the Woolsey fire, which killed three people and destroyed more than 1,600 structures in November 2018, and the Franklin fire, which damaged or destroyed nearly 50 homes in the Malibu area.
Read more:
Here are some more striking images crossing the wires.
With wildfires raging in southern California, it is worth rereading this safety primer on how to prepare and protect yourself in case of emergency.
If you donât have to evacuate yet, protect yourself: keep the doors and windows closed â not locked. This will block smoke from entering the house but allow for an easy exit if there is a need to evacuate.
Moving furniture inside the house away from the doors and windows ensures less fuel for flames should the wall be breached. Shutting off air conditioning ensures there is no intake of outside air and prevents embers from circulating through the vents.
If there is smoke in the area, mask up and use air filtration devices if available. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends wearing a respirator to prevent smoke inhalation. Fill up tubs, buckets, sinks or any large containers with water, and if there is an outdoor water outlet, plug in a hose â this could help firefighters control the blaze.
Wearing protective clothing, such as long-sleeved shirts and full pants, can help keep you safe from the heat and burns from falling ash.
If you find yourself trapped by the fire, immediately call 911. If you are in a house, move to the point furthest away from the fire and shut off all systems that circulate air through the building, as these can pull in embers from the vents. Turn on all lights so firefighters can find your house.
If you are in a car, lie on the floor of the vehicle, cover yourself with a blanket or jacket, and keep the windows rolled up. If youâre on foot, find a clearing with the least amount of combustible vegetation, a ditch or depression, or shelter behind material that will not burn, such as a rocky outgrowth. Lie face down to protect your airways from the smoke â the air is clearer closer to the ground â and cover yourself with a blanket or jacket if at hand. Call 911 if possible to alert authorities of your location.
Why are the fires in Los Angeles so bad right now?
Lois Beckett
A fierce windstorm is fueling dangerous wildfires in multiple locations around Los Angeles, with a major fire in the Pacific Palisades forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate.
The infamously dry Santa Ana winds are a persistent feature of California life during the colder months of the year. Whatâs particularly dangerous right now is that the strong winds â the worst since 2011, according to a National Weather Service meteorologist â are gusting across a bone-dry landscape, covered in dried-out vegetation acting as the perfect fuel for wildfires.
Californiaâs winter rains can serve as a protective force against wildfires, by wetting the vegetation so it does not so easily catch on fire. But that simply didnât happen this year.
As my Guardian colleagues reported earlier today, southern California has not seen more than 0.1in (0.25cm) of rain since early May. Much of the region has fallen into moderate drought conditions, according to the US Drought Monitor. In northern California, in contrast, there have been multiple drenching storms.
The dry conditions have turned the region around Los Angeles into a tinderbox. Now weâre seeing the dangerous consequences.
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass has released a statement on X, some hours after the city of Los Angeles and governor Gavin Newsom earlier declared a state of emergency.
Weâve declared a state of emergency to amplify our response to this devastating fire and clear a path for a rapid recovery.
To the hundreds of brave firefighters and first responders who have been responding all day to this blaze â we thank you. To the thousands of families impacted by this horrific fire â the City of Los Angeles is providing resources and shelter as this fire continues. Visit http://notifyla.org for up to date information.
Evacuations ordered in fast-growing Eaton fire
Evacuations have been ordered as the Eaton fire near Altadena is growing rapidly, doubling in size to 400 acres, fanned by strong winds.
Mandatory evacuations North of New York Drive, East of Altadena Drive, West of Sierra Madre Villa Ave.
Pasadena Fire, US Forest Service & LA County Fire in Unified Command. Over 200 acres spreading at rapid growth.
Mass Care and Sheltering being established.
We will⦗ Angeles National Forest (@Angeles_NF) January 8, 2025
Biden says his administration will do ‘everything it can’ to support Palisades fire response
President Joe Biden says he has offered federal assistance to help suppress the âterribleâ Pacific Palisades fire.
His statement in full:
I am being frequently briefed on the wildfires in west Los Angeles. My team and I are in touch with state and local officials, and I have offered any federal assistance that is needed to help suppress the terrible Pacific Palisades fire.
Earlier tonight, FEMA approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant to support areas that are impacted and help reimburse the state of California for the immediate firefighting costs. My Administration will do everything it can to support the response.
I urge the residents of the Pacific Palisades and the surrounding areas of Los Angeles to stay vigilant and listen to local officials.
Mandatory evacuation zones in the Palisades fire have expanded to the east and north as the fire has grown to 2,920 acres, with winds forecasted to continue increasing through the night, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an update.
âThis remains an extremely dynamic situation and all residents in the area asked to monitor the news, LAFD Alerts and be prepared for possible evacuation,â the department said.
Lois Beckett
A community theater in the Pacific Palisades is âcompletely burned out right now. We just saw a partial roof collapseâ NBC 4 Los Angelesâ Darsha Phillips reported. âIt is completely engulfed in flames.â
Theatre Palisades opened in 1988, according to the organizationâs website. Just about thirty minutes before the roof collapsed, the building had not been on fire, yet another sign of how fast the fires are moving, Phillips said.
The worst of the fires could be yet to come, with winds expected to increase overnight and continue for days, producing isolated gusts that could top 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills â including in areas that havenât seen substantial rain in months.
The blaze began at about 10.30am, shortly after the start of a Santa Ana windstorm that the National Weather service warned could be âlife-threateningâ and the strongest to hit Southern California in more than a decade. The exact cause of the fire was unknown and no injuries had been reported, officials said.