"Unprecedented Fires" Scorch 3,000 Acres In Los Angeles Area, Forcing 49,000 To Evacuate
Watch Live:
LA Fire Summary:
Fast-moving, wind-driven fires are sweeping through the Los Angeles area, forcing mandatory evacuations for over 49,000 residents. The fires remain 0% contained.
The Palisades Fire (caused unknown) has burned nearly 15,000 acres, while the Eaton Fire has scorched 10,600 acres.
AccuWeather Estimates $52 billion to $57 billion in preliminary damage and economic losses
Gov. Gavin Newsom deployed 1,400 firefighters & declared a state of emergency.
Nearly 300,000 residential and/or commercial customers are without power in the LA region.
NWS: Worst fire conditions (high winds) will peak Wednesday morning.
Malibu residents warned about potential evacuation.
Fires ZERO PERCENT CONTAINED
Evacuation Map (via NYT):
Fire Map (NASA VIIRS image overlaid LA via X user loosenedspirit):
* * *
Update (1915ET):
"The Palisades Fire, which has quintupled in size since this morning, has now prompted evacuations in the City of Santa Monica," meteorologist Matthew Cappucci wrote on X.
Evacuations are expanding.
🚨 #BREAKING: 293,000 people are now under mandatory evacuation in Los Angeles — a 300% increase since this morning
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 8, 2025
A new evacuation order just came in for the Santa Monica area
Over 400,000 are without power, and the fires are STILL 0% contained. pic.twitter.com/eIT7kHJUa4
Fire is zero contained.
* * *
Update (1830ET):
Mayor Karen Bass stands in a stunned silence for nearly 2 minutes as a reporter asks her if she regrets cutting Los Angeles' Fire Department budget by nearly $20 million and being absent as her citizens' homes burned down.pic.twitter.com/64A1hlTv2m
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 8, 2025
Just awful.
New drone shot from Pacific Palisades shows entire blocks of homes literally burned to the ground. The Palisades Fire alone could become the "costliest" fire in U.S. history.
— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) January 8, 2025
Courtesy of @KitKarzen pic.twitter.com/L5z7mvdLTt
* * *
Update (1545ET):
Via Bloomberg Top Live Desk:
"In California, nearly 500,000 people have turned to the state's insurer of last resort, the FAIR Plan, which has doubled in size over the past five years. The state is now exposed to nearly $458 billion in potential damage, Mark Gongloff writes for Bloomberg Opinion. The neighborhoods in the path of the Palisades and other fires burning this week have been among some of the hardest-hit by insurer defections in recent years."
Via Bloomberg's Brian Sullivan:
"The Los Angeles region has a high risk of exposure to wildfires: More than 460,000 homes with a reconstruction value of $300 billion in LA and the Riverside region have a moderate to very high risk of exposure, according to CoreLogic, a property analytics firm.
"CoreLogic noted that not all the homes deemed at risk are directly exposed to the current fires."
Via AccuWeather:
Estimates $52 billion to $57 billion in preliminary damage and economic loss has occurred from the raging Los Angeles area wildfires.
* * *
Update (1534ET):
President-elect Donald Trump on Truth Social:
"The fires in Los Angeles may go down, in dollar amount, as the worst in the History of our Country. In many circles, they’re doubting whether insurance companies will even have enough money to pay for this catastrophe. Let this serve, and be emblematic, of the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newscum Duo. January 20th cannot come fast enough!"
Meanwhile...
LA Fire Chief is being hailed as the first female and LGBTQ fire chief in Los Angeles. She says her priority is DEI.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 8, 2025
Here she is waving a pride flag at a pride parade while dressed in uniform. pic.twitter.com/E2mjsGN2KK
On the left is the LA Fire Chief allowing her city to be burned down with no water in fire hydrants
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) January 8, 2025
On the right is the New Orleans Police Chief who allowed a terrorist attack on Bourbon without street barriers
DEI is quite literally getting people killed
Bring back merit pic.twitter.com/LEmtbC9owK
LA Mayor Karen Bass cut $17.6 million in funding from the Fire Dept. She’s in Africa on a taxpayer funded trip and has a DEI hire running the Fire Dept.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 8, 2025
Meanwhile her city is burning to the ground. pic.twitter.com/EJBVkdgCP0
FIRST FEMALE LA FIRE CHIEF PRIORITIZES DIVERSITY.pic.twitter.com/4pmKWFh7Qy
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 8, 2025
Clown.
April, 2021. Gavin Newsom explains that wildfire preparedness will be better now that Biden is in office instead of Trump. pic.twitter.com/jTnSgagQsF
— MAZE (@mazemoore) January 8, 2025
It is time for Californians to usher in an era of accountability after radical leftist politicians and officials have left the state in chaos.
* * *
Update (1115ET):
LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told reporters, "We have well over 5,000 acres that have burned and the fire is growing. We have no percentage of containment. We have an estimated 1,000 structures destroyed."
NOW — LA County Fire Chief: “We have well over 5,000 acres that have burned and the fire is growing. We have no percentage of containment. We have an estimated 1,000 structures destroyed.” pic.twitter.com/Pn3riJOzlz
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) January 8, 2025
Trump was right...
There's nothing like waking up to a fire apocalypse that morning...
Good morning from Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/xx6m7DFQ22
— Andrew Kimmel (@andrewkimmel) January 8, 2025
* * *
Update (0700ET):
The Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst wildfires raging in Southern California show no signs of abating.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department reported on X that nearly 3,000 acres—roughly 4.5 square miles—are ablaze, and the fire is 0% contained as of early Wednesday morning.
PALISADES FIRE | 2921 acres 0% containment. Extreme fire behavior, short & long-range spotting, continues to challenge firefighting efforts for the Palisades Fire. Winds gusts up to 60 MPH are expected to continue through Thursday. pic.twitter.com/QHKIh6u6FD
— L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) January 8, 2025
According to PowerOutage.US, nearly 300,000 customers across the area are without power.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X that 1,400 firefighters have been delayed in the area to "combat these unprecedented fires."
A dire situation is unfolding tonight as wildfires rage in Southern California.
— CIRA (@CIRA_CSU) January 8, 2025
Communities continue to be significantly impacted by the Palisades and Eaton Fires. pic.twitter.com/75nPVo24l6
"Emergency officials, firefighters, and first responders are all hands on deck through the night to do everything possible to protect lives," Newsom said.
California has deployed 1400+ firefighting personnel & hundreds of prepositioned assets to combat these unprecedented fires in LA.
— Governor Newsom (@CAgovernor) January 8, 2025
Emergency officials, firefighters, and first responders are all hands on deck through the night to do everything possible to protect lives.
Malibu City authorities have urged residents to leave immediately.
🚨 Malibu urges all residents not under evacuation orders prepare to leave. #PalisadesFire is uncontained, fueled by Santa Ana winds. Evacuate now, especially if you need extra time or have pets/livestock. Find your evacuation zone at https://t.co/93cHDtDbVt. Avoid south/east PCH pic.twitter.com/fHzFSpigse
— City of Malibu (@CityMalibu) January 8, 2025
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is nowhere to be found because she is attending the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama in Accra, Ghana.
But-but-but global warming...
The #PalisadesFire 🔥 isn’t driven by climate change. These winds aren't unusual. This is about poor fire management (like not clearing underbrush) & building in fire-prone areas. 🌲 Fires are natural... and historically far worse than today in California.
— Dr. Matthew M. Wielicki (@MatthewWielicki) January 8, 2025
📜"Approximately 1.8… pic.twitter.com/sUWYapLSDP
Scenes of the inferno:
This is by far the craziest video from the fire in Los Angeles. This guy is filming huge walls of fire surrounding a house they're in, and there's another person and a dog. I have no idea why they didn't evacuate or what happened to them. Let's hope they're okay. #PalisadesFire pic.twitter.com/QYtsBSKvdl
— Sia Kordestani (@SiaKordestani) January 8, 2025
NEW: Bulldozer is being used to move abandoned cars out of the way as the Palisades Fire continues to rip through southern California.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 8, 2025
The fire has grown to a whopping 1300 acres as wind speeds continue to increase.
Actor Steve Guttenberg is urging locals to keep their keys in… pic.twitter.com/ORPClU4e37
More devastating images from the #PalisadesFire. An unknown number of homes and other structures have been lost. The fire was last mapped at 2,900 acres but is likely much larger. Live coverage: https://t.co/0wfQNmlGWx
— KTLA (@KTLA) January 8, 2025
(AP Photos) pic.twitter.com/OOZFAt95uo
View from the sky above LA.
— Dan Hellie (@DanHellie) January 8, 2025
Pacific Palisades and Malibu engulfed in flames. Absolutely Horrific. pic.twitter.com/Q5O8XgEHng
Across from Dukes Malibu now!! pic.twitter.com/IPXSpqkqos
— HeloGoldy (@HeloGoldy) January 8, 2025
Evil global warming?
The homeless were starting fires in California today, possibly being the cause for the mass wild fires in LA.
— JohnRocker (@itsJohnRocker) January 8, 2025
Another reason why the mentally deranged need to be taken off the streets.pic.twitter.com/pvfHjcTmQh
Or the homeless starting fires?
* * *
A brush fire that has spread to over 1,200 acres in Los Angeles amid a massive wind storm has prompted a mass evacuation in the upscale Pacific Palisades area on Tuesday.
🚨🇺🇸 BIDEN CANCELS EVENT AS WINDSTORM FUELS PALISADES FIRE FORCING EVACUATIONS
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 7, 2025
The windstorm fueling the Palisades Fire has forced mandatory evacuations and canceled Biden’s event in Thermal, CA.
UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain warns, “Just about everything is going to get… pic.twitter.com/aVKr0okLas
"Evacuate now from the area of Palisades..." officials warned on X. "Those not in the evacuation area should shelter in place."
LAFD: Evacuate now from the area of Palisades Area. Those not in the evacuation area should shelter in place. Evacuation order for Palisades Fire. Maps and information can be found at https://t.co/GihYtg2yPf https://t.co/kMAzuc7uaf
— LA City Emergency Alerts (@NotifyLA) January 7, 2025
The Palisades - home to numerous A-list celebrities, has roughly 9,400 homes and 27,000 residents. After the fire broke out, smoke plumes spread quickly toward structures and homes - including a large area of Topanga Canyon, tucked-away community with a single road in and out.
Meanwhile, the South Coast Air Quality Management District on Tuesday issued an air quality alert for the Santa Monica Mountains "due to increased fine particle pollution from wildfire smoke," which has now traveled as far east as Diamond Bar, located around 30 miles from downtown LA.
Massive fire above my neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, in #LosAngeles. Evacuating. pic.twitter.com/vJI06iWa1X
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) January 7, 2025
Officials shut down all traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway at Topanga Canyon Boulevard - causing (greater than usual) traffic jams that could be seen all over.
California: The structure loss will likely be huge from the Palisades Fire. #wildfire #cafire
— The Hotshot Wake Up (@HotshotWake) January 7, 2025
The flame lengths off this fire after making a slope reversal are insane. Firefighters have their work cut out for them. Yo Congress, still plan on cutting wildland firefighter pay?… pic.twitter.com/rjJRLpCf2k
Actor James Woods has posted several videos to X showing the fire raging near his house.
Leaving pic.twitter.com/yJDQ8xIhbI
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) January 7, 2025
Two houses from us… pic.twitter.com/5lx6kMqdmN
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) January 7, 2025
People are abandoning their cars in the street...
KTLA's @GeneKangTV reports from the perimeter of the #PalisadesFire where crews needed to clear vehicles using a bulldozer to make access for firefighters. Live coverage: https://t.co/ZEEfGXODEx pic.twitter.com/ziOctuFD7X
— KTLA (@KTLA) January 7, 2025
We’ve counted at least 7 homes in Pacific Palisades destroyed by flames as the fire continues to spread rapidly. Not sure if firefighters are struggling to get to this area or what, we’ve tried grabbing water hoses ourselves. #PalisadesFire pic.twitter.com/nv1P3s1XEP
— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) January 7, 2025
Developing...