LA fires live updates: Santa Ana winds set to return as crews scramble to control blazes that left 10 dead
Death toll continues to climb from the deadly Los Angeles County wildfires that forced evacuation orders for nearly 200,000 residents as the Kenneth Fire arson suspect is held in police custody
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Your support makes all the difference.At least 10 people have been killed by the fast-moving wildfires tearing across the Los Angeles area, while a suspected arsonist, allegedly armed with a “flamethrower,” has been arrested.
The Department of Medical Examiner announced it received notification of 10 fire-related fatalities on Thursday evening with the death toll expected to climb. It came hours after the Kenneth fire broke out north of the Palisades fire on Thursday, threatening homes near Calabasas and Hidden Hills.
The Los Angeles Police Department said it believed the blaze was started intentionally. Later on Thursday, a man was restrained by citizens using zip ties after allegedly attempting to light a fire in Woodland Hills, before being detained, Sean Dinse of the LAPD’s Topanga Division told KTLA 5.
The suspect, believed to be in his mid-20s, was armed with a “propane tank” or “flamethrower,” according to a witness.
The Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive the city has seen, is now at six percent containment. The fire has scorched almost 20,000 acres, while the Altadena and Pasadena-based Eaton fire has burned 13,690 acres. At least 180,000 residents have been forced to evacuate and 10,000 structures feared burned down.
Everything we know about ‘armed’ arson suspect arrested over Kenneth blaze as LA wildfires rage
Arson suspect arrested by citizens near Kenneth fire armed with a ‘propane tank or flamethrower’
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Evacuee returns to charred remains of Pacific Palisades
As of Friday morning, the Palisades fire has consumed more than 20,000 acres of Las Vegas’s landscape, leaving a path of desturction in its wake. A person can be strolling through the charred remains of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Thursday.
Explainer: Wildfires are increasing, so why is wood a popular building tool in hotspots?
Wildfires are increasing, so why is wood a popular building tool in hotspots?
As wildfires rage across the US, devastating homes and communities, one question is being asked more urgently than ever: Why are so many homes still being built with wood? At least 10 people have been killed by the fast-moving blazes tearing across the Los Angeles area, with many homes reduced to rubble, a stark reminder of the increasing wildfire threat. According to the National Association of Home Builders, nearly 90 per cent of US homes built in 2019 were wood-framed, despite the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires. As wildfires rage on, the question arises—should we be rethinking this?
Voices: California wildfires are not ‘natural disasters’ – they’re man-made catastrophes
California is burning – again. This time, in the middle of January, scorching homes in one of the wealthiest regions in the world.
Flames are threatening Hollywood landmarks, devouring multimillion-dollar mansions and forcing more than 130,000 residents to flee. Thick smoke has turned the city’s iconic skyline into a dystopian haze. By now, at least 10 people had been killed, at least 2,000 buildings scorched, and more than 330,000 left without power.
Everyone you speak to is saying the same thing: wildfires are a part of California’s identity, but this is the worst they’ve seen.
But the fires ripping through Los Angeles are not just another “natural disaster”. This is the future that climate scientists have been warning about for decades, brought to the doorsteps of the some of the world’s most influential people. So why has it taken us so long to care?
Climate Correspondent Stuti Mishra has the full story.
Mapped: Where are the Palisades, Kenneth, Hurst and Eaton fires?
Covid-19 face covering ‘do not offer protection’ against wildfire smoke
The National Weather Service said that face masks, like the ones used in the Covid-19 pandemic, do no protect against wildfire smoke.
The agency has given the adivce as air quality plummets in some SoCal regions as smoke continues to plume from raging wildfires.
“During a wildfire, protect yourself from smoke. Stay inside and close windows and doors,” the NWS wrote on X early on Friday morning.
“If you’re running an air conditioner, keep the fresh air intake closed and clean the filter to prevent outdoor smoke from getting inside. Note that cloth face coverings worn to help protect against the spread of COVID-19 do not protect against breathing in wildfire smoke.”
Just in: Potential new wildfire erupts in San Bernardino National Forest
A new wildfire is believed to have erupted in the San Bernardino National Forest, according to a report.
The fire is believed to have broken out on Friday morning at the southern Californian forest, situated near the Coachella Valley, according to Wildcad, a dispatch system used for wildland fire agencies, and images taken from University of California San Diego and ALERTCalifornia.
According to California Wildfire Tracking, a non-official X account who has been tracking the purported new blaze, it has grown to one acre.
It has been dubbed the Shady Fire, according to Wildcad.
The Independent has contacted the LAFD for more information.
In photos: Firefighters battle newly-sparked Kenneth fire
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