Palisades fire live updates: Mayor says ‘LA will rebuild stronger’ as five killed and city suffers worst blaze in history
Significant injuries are reported as the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst and other fires rage over more than 27,000 acres in southern California, leaving schools closed and more than 1.5 million without power
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Your support makes all the difference.Wildfires continue to rage over more than 27,000 acres in Southern California as crews struggled to contain the blazes.
So far, five people are dead, countless are hurt and more than 1,000 structures are in ruin as the blazes devastate Southern California. The Palisades Fire is now the most destructive in Los Angeles history.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called on residents to “conserve water to the extent that you can” as firefighters battle the historic blaze.
“But make no mistake, Los Angeles will rebuild stronger than ever,” she said.
The Palisades Fire is now more than 15,000 acres, while the Eaton Fire has scorched some 10,600 acres.
The blazes have forced the evacuation of more than 150,000 residents, including more than 30,000 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
Homes have been destroyed across the LA area, including those owned by several celebrities. Dramatic pictures and videos from the scene show people scrambling to save personal belongings or use whatever resources they can find to try and salvage their residences.
Dangerous wind conditions were not expected to let up until the end of the week, which will hamper efforts to control the fires.
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President Joe Biden is being blasted after he tried to inject a bit of levity into a briefing on the California widlfires by announcing he had become a great-grandfather.
However, the comment didn’t land and was condemned online given the disaster that was unfolding just miles away.
After noting that he’d received word that the home of his son Hunter — who is dad to new mom Naomi — had initially been believed to have burned down in the fire but was actually still standing, Biden revealed that he was now a proud great-grandfather, even as he appeared to be unsure of his grandchild’s gender at first.
Crews struggle to extinguish flames due to lack of water access
A lack of water access has complicated firefighters’ ability to extinguish the wildfires devastating Southern California this week.
“A firefight with multiple fire hydrants drawing water from the system for several hours is unsustainable,” Mark Pestrella, the director of Los Angeles County Public Works, said.
However, the shortage isn’t due to a lack of water itself — but rather the delivery of the water, experts told CNN.
Hydrants throughout the Pacific Palisades, for example, went dry due to low water pressure early Wednesday after firefighters drew heavily from the city’s three major water tanks to battle the blazes, CNN reports.
“Those tanks help with the pressure on the fire hydrants in the hills in the Palisades, and because we were pushing so much water in our (main supply line), and so much water was being used … we were not able to fill the tanks fast enough,” Janisse Quiñones, chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said “The consumption of water was faster than we can provide water in a (main) line.”
Actors Cary Elwes and Lisa Marie Elwes lose home
Actors Cary Elwes and Lisa Marie Elwes have lost their southern California home amid the devastating wildfires scorching the Los Angeles area.
President Biden tells California residents, ‘We are with you'
President Joe Biden took to social media on Wednesday to offer his support for those impacted by the California wildfires.
“Over 100,000 people have been ordered to evacuate communities impacted by the Southern California wildfires,” Biden wrote on X. “At least two people have been killed. And many more are injured – including firefighters. It’s devastating. To the residents of Southern California: We are with you.”
“To the brave men and women who ran towards danger over the past 24 hours in Southern California, I want you to know your President, and the rest of the country, is with you,” he wrote in a second post. “You suited up and risked your lives to save the lives of your fellow Americans. We are indebted to you.”
Wildfire death toll rises to five
At least five people have been killed by the wildfires raging across the Los Angeles area, the Associated Press reports.
The deaths were reported in Altadena and Pasadena, near where the Eaton fire rages on. The Pacific Palisades fire has also been deemed the most destructive in Los Angeles history.
California officials order more than 150,000 people to evacuate
California officials have now ordered more than 150,000 people to evacuate as the destructive wildfires burn on.
More than 1.5 million customers are also without power as the blazes destroy thousands of structures in Southern California.
Some 1.5 million California customers are now without power
Approximately 1,534,947 customers had no power by mid-Wednesday afternoon in California, according to tracker PowerOutage.US.
More than 940,000 were in Los Angeles County.
FAA expands ban on flights near Los Angeles wildfires: Report
The Federal Aviation Administration has expanded a ban on non-firefighting aircraft over the Los Angeles County wildfires, according to CNN.
The temporary flight restriction now includes:
- Hollywood Hills
- Calabasas
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
- Century City
Police officers help to evacuate 101-year-old Laverna Sharpe amid Eaton Fire
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