- Los Angeles is bracing for high winds that could worsen ongoing wildfires.
- The fires have burned 40,000 acres and destroyed 12,300 structures. Authorities reported 24 dead.
- Evacuation orders are in effect for more than 92,000 people as fires threaten more areas.
After nearly a week of wildfires ravaging Los Angeles, the area is bearing down for more high winds on Monday that threaten to spread the flames even further.
The fires have burned through more than 40,000 acres in Los Angeles County, displaced hundreds of thousands of residents, and killed at least 24 people. More than 12,300 structures have been destroyed, local authorities have said.
Firefighters made some progress containing the blazes over the weekend — the Palisades Fire, the largest, is 14% contained, and the Eaton Fire, the second-largest, is 33% contained as of Monday morning, according to Cal Fire, a state agency.
But high winds are forecast to pick up again Monday and Tuesday, with gusts up to 70 miles an hour creating “extremely dangerous fire weather conditions” across coastal southern California, the National Weather Service said.
The NWS issued a “particularly dangerous situation red flag warning” for parts of Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles Counties through Wednesday. The red flag warning signals fire danger. Though the winds aren’t expected to reach the same highs as last week, they still pose “a high risk for large fires with potential for very rapid spreading of any fires that may develop.”
The fires are predicted to become the worst natural disaster in US history, and the death toll will likely rise, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Sunday.
“I think it will be in terms of just the costs associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope,” Newsom told NBC’s Meet the Press. “I’ve got search-and-rescue teams out. We’ve got cadaver dogs out. And there’s likely to be a lot more.”
Around 92,000 people near the Palisades and Eaton fires are under evacuation orders, and another 89,000 are under evacuation warnings, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a Monday morning press conference.
Palisades Fire
The Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades area north of Santa Monica has burned through over 23,700 acres and was 14% contained as of Monday morning, according to Cal Fire.
The cause of the fire, which started on Tuesday morning, is still under investigation. It threatens to spread into Brentwood, Encino, and Westwood.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office has reported eight deaths tied to the Palisades fire so far.
Eaton Fire
The Eaton Fire, which has devastated parts of Pasadena and Altadena since it began on Tuesday, has now burned through more than 14,100 acres, according to Cal Fire. It is 33% contained as of Monday morning.
“In my career, I’ve never seen the amount of devastation and destruction that exists here. So, a lot of work. It’s going to be long-term,” Ernie Villa, an operations section chief for the California Interagency Incident Management Team, said at a Sunday press conference.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office has reported 16 deaths tied to the Eaton fire so far.
Celebrities and many others have lost their homes
The Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles has long been a draw for celebrities. Some Hollywood stars lost their homes in the Palisades Fire.
Paris Hilton, Milo Ventimiglia, Billy Crystal, Mel Gibson, Miles Teller, and Anthony Hopkins, all said the fire had destroyed their houses.
Of course, not everyone in the area is a celebrity. One 22-year-old renter told Business Insider that she’d had to evacuate her apartment in the Pacific Palisades — and feared that everything will have been lost after seeing news footage showing buildings on her street that had burned.
A journalist and her husband and their two daughters told BI they evacuated their Palisades home on January 7 — only to find out later that the fires destroyed everything. They’re now staying in a hotel.
Meanwhile, an $83 million mansion that had been featured in HBO’s “Succession” also was destroyed.
LAX is open, as is Disneyland — but some attractions are closed
Los Angeles International Airport is open and is “operating normally,” the airport said.
LAX has remained open throughout the fires, though over the weekend, around 500 flights were delayed, and around 13 were canceled.
The airport said customers should check with their airline to make sure there are no issues before starting their journeys.
Los Angeles attracts around 50 million tourists each year — and visitors to the area will find some things aren’t open. Disneyland was open as of Monday, as was Universal Studios Hollywood. Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Hollywood said it would be closed through Tuesday.
The famous Griffith Park and its Griffith Observatory were both listed as closed through at least Wednesday. And Lake Hollywood Park, a city park beneath the famed Hollywood sign, also was closed.
The Getty Center said it would be closed through Thursday. The Getty survived the Palisades fire.
The Santa Monica Pier was open, but warned of air-quality issues on its website. AccuWeather listed the air quality in the area as “poor” as of Monday morning local time.
This is a developing story. Please refresh for updates.
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