Los Angeles wildfires live: Hollywood landmark threatened as deadly blaze spreads and more residents evacuate
Death toll continues to climb as more than 7,500 firefighting personnel are deployed across California, with three of the most ferocious fires at zero percent containment
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Your support makes all the difference.At least five people have been killed as several fast-moving wildfires sweep across the Los Angeles area, leaving thousands of firefighters attempting to extinguish the blaze.
The death toll climbed to five as of Thursday morning after the Eaton fire raged through Altadena and Pasadena, L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone confirmed to The New York Times.
The Palisades fire, now the one of the most destructive LA has seen, is burning more than 17,200 acres, while the Eaton fire has scorched some 10,600 acres. The Sunset fire in Hollywood has engulfed 60 acres. All three fires are at zero percent containment.
An estimated 2,000 buildings have been scorched and 130,000 residents ordered to evacuate, including more than 60,000 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. More than 330,000 people are without power throughout the region, according to PowerOutage.us.
On Thursday, California Governor Gavin Newsom revealed that more than 7,500 firefighting personnel and almost 1,200 fire trucks have been deployed across Southern California. He also thanked President Joe Biden, who announced the approval of a major disaster declaration and ordered federal assistance to bolster response efforts.
Is the Hollywood sign on fire?
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Watch live: Wildfires rage through Altadena in Southern California as five killed in firestorm
Watch: Wildfires rage through Altadena in California as five killed in firestorm
WARNING: Following livestream may contain distressing content.
Mapped: Charting the path of the devstating fires sweeping LA area
The Los Angeles wildfires continued to grow rapidly Thursday, engulfing homes in the Pacific Palisades and other neighborhoods, including star-studded Studio City, Calabasas and Altadena.
In under 48 hours, the fires spread across more than 28,000 acres. Flames have been fanned by a fierce windstorm known as the Santa Ana winds, and officials are warning the situation could get worse as three of the four main blazes stand at zero percent containment.
The Independent has produced a suite of maps tracking the wildfires.
LA wildfires mapped: Palisades and Eaton blazes now cover more than 27,000 acres
Death toll has risen to five, while 2,000 structures have been burned down and more than 150,000 locals are under evacuation orders
Firefighters again work through the night in efforts to extinguish wildfires
Watch: LA Mayor Karen Bass refuses to respond to wildfire criticism during live interview
LA mayor speechless as she refuses to respond to wildfire criticism in live interview
LA mayor Karen Bass was left speechless as she refused to respond to criticism over her handling of the devastating wildfires. Ms Bass was returning from her trip to Ghana when she was approached by Sky News correspondent David Blevins, who asked her if she felt she owed an apology to citizens for being absent during the fire outbreaks. Ms Bass remained silent as she stood in front of the microphone. She also stood their speechless when asked if she regretted cutting the fire department by millions.
Where are the four main brush fires loctaed?
The Palisades Fire has spread across more than 17,000 acres; the Eaton Fire 10,600 acres; the Hurst Fire 855 acres; and the Sunset Fire engulfing 43 acres.
Debunked: Is the Hollywood sign on fire?
As deadly wildfires continue to devastate Los Angeles County, the outbreak of a new inferno in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday afternoon led to the spread of fake pictures and video across social media claiming that the iconic Hollywood sign is ablaze.
Those images are fake and, at the time of writing, the legendary landmark is safe from the flames as the fire woud have to cross over a freeway in order to impact the sign. The fire has however impacted the lights that illuminate the sign, affecting its visibility.
At least five people have been killed by the out-of-control fires so far, with more than 1,000 structures destroyed and at least 150,000 residents forced to flee their homes.
Joe Sommerlad has the story.
Musk to deploy free Starlink terminals this morning
Elon Musk said that he is set to provide free Starlink terminals to areas in Los Angeles battling the fast-moving wildfires
“SpaceX will provide free Starlink terminals to affected areas in LA tomorrow morning,” the Silicon Valley stalwart said late on Wednesday.
A division of Musk’s SpaceX, Starlink currently has about 7,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit, constituting nearly two-thirds of the world’s active satellites.
The satellite systems will likely aid firefighting personnel and evacuees with communications. Starlink proved useful for weathering the devastating Hurricane Helene in Southeastern US in October.
Unsafe water alert issued to Pasadena residents
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has issued an unsafe water alert for Pasadena residents.
Residents in Eaton Fire evacuation or warning areas have been advised to stop drinking tap water in lieu of bottled water, deputies said.
Failure to comply with advice could result in illness, the LASD said.
Oscars 2025: Academy pushes back nominations and extends voting period
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has extended the deadline for Oscar nomination voting by two days in view of the raging wildfires around Los Angeles.
A series of wildfires has killed at least five people and left nearly 1,000 structures in ruin in southern California. The Palisades fire is now the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles.
Voting for the members opened on 8 January and was scheduled to end on 12 January. However, with the extension, the deadline is now 14 January. The nominations announcement, which was originally set for 17 January, has been moved to 19 January.
Shahana Yasmin has the story.
Academy pushes 2025 Oscars nominations back amid Los Angeles wildfires
Fires have killed at least five people and burned nearly 1,000 homes
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