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14 minutes ago

California fires live updates: Officials warn of ‘health concerns’ and winds as blazes tear through LA

Officials warn that Angelenos are ‘not out of the woods’ with the Santa Ana winds expected to pick up Wednesday, fanning the flames of the Palisades and Eaton blazes raging through southern California

Auto Fire: Another fast-moving blaze breaks out in California

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Bruising Santa Ana winds have returned to Los Angeles County early Wednesday, as the death toll from the still-raging wildfires sits at 25.

Forecasters again declared a “particularly dangerous situation” – the most extreme advance warning also used when violent tornadoes are possible – with local wind gusts expected to reach up to 60mph in the mountains.

The Palisades and Eaton fires are now among the most destructive in Southern California’s history, and progress on containing the blazes has been slow in the windy weather.

The Palisades Fire has torn across nearly 24,000 acres and was 18 percent contained. The Eaton Fire is 45 percent contained after burning more than 14,000 acres.

While Wednesday is expected to be “the last really windy day,” Red Flag conditions continue until 6 p.m. PST due to very low humidity.

While tens of thousands still are unable to return to their homes, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order on Tuesday to start the rebuilding process.

Speaking at a morning press conference on Wednesday, Supervisor Kathryn Barger stressed to residents that the “health concerns are serious.”

“It is important for residents to take health guidance seriously when you’re near impacted areas and debris,” she stressed.

24 minutes ago

Newsom denies claim he is setting the stage for developers to buy up devastated LA County lands: ‘This is absolutely false'

Julia Musto15 January 2025 17:59
26 minutes ago

EPA teams to remove hazardous debris from homes impacted by fires

Homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles are seen on Wednesday. Teams are waiting until it’s safe to move into affected areas and collect hazardous debris
Homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles are seen on Wednesday. Teams are waiting until it’s safe to move into affected areas and collect hazardous debris (AP)

As soon as it is safe to do so, Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said debris removal teams will immediately move into Los Angeles neighborhoods devastated by fire to begin clearing debris.

Federal and state removal teams are pre-positioned on standby. The Environmental Protection Agency has been tasked with safely removing and disposing of hazardous waste from homes and structures. That includes paint, ammunition, propane tanks, batteries, and pesticides.

“California is working closely with the federal government to get debris removal teams quickly into neighborhoods devastated by fire. This is the first step to rebuilding and recovery — and we’re clearing any obstacle to ensure this happens as soon as it’s safe for teams to move in,” Newsom said in a statement.

Julia Musto15 January 2025 17:57
34 minutes ago

LA City Fire Chief on wildfire response: ‘We followed the system in place’

“We followed the system in place,” Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told reporters, defending the department’s initial response to the fires on Wednesday.

While acknowledging that there would be lessons to be learned about the response to the fires, she told CBS News’ Jonathan Vigliotti that resources had been allocated where they needed to to do the greatest good at the time.

Julia Musto15 January 2025 17:49
41 minutes ago

Firefighters inspect homes destroyed by Eaton Fire as officials brace for more strong winds

A firefighter inspect homes destroyed by the Eaton Fire in in Altadena, California, on Wednesday. Search and rescue teams are nearly done in the area
A firefighter inspect homes destroyed by the Eaton Fire in in Altadena, California, on Wednesday. Search and rescue teams are nearly done in the area (AP)
Charred remains of buildings and vehicles are seen on Wednesday following the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. The fire is still burning
Charred remains of buildings and vehicles are seen on Wednesday following the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. The fire is still burning (REUTERS)
A firefighter inspects homes destroyed by the Eaton Fire in in Altadena, California, on Wednesday. Winds were expected to pick up on Wednesday, leading to new concerns about fire behavior
A firefighter inspects homes destroyed by the Eaton Fire in in Altadena, California, on Wednesday. Winds were expected to pick up on Wednesday, leading to new concerns about fire behavior (AP)
Beach front homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire are seen in Malibu, California, on Wednesday. The Palisades fire is 19 percent contained
Beach front homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire are seen in Malibu, California, on Wednesday. The Palisades fire is 19 percent contained (AP)
Julia Musto15 January 2025 17:41
48 minutes ago

The Auto Fire is 50 percent contained

Julia Musto15 January 2025 17:35
49 minutes ago

Governor Newsom hits back at Trump for ‘Newscum’ nickname: ‘This isn’t about me’

Julia Musto15 January 2025 17:34
50 minutes ago

Around 53,000 affected residents have registered for FEMA’s individual assistance

FEMA Region 9 Regional Administrator Bob Fenton said Wednesday that some 53,000 people have registered for nearly $12 million of individual assistance.

Officials said at the same briefing that more schools would be open, but that a countywide emergency has gone into effect and there may be additional power outages.

Julia Musto15 January 2025 17:32
1 hour ago

LA Mayor Karen Bass: ‘We will rebuild our city stronger'

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass assured residents Wednesday that the city will do everything it can to expedite the rebuilding process following the region’s deadly wildfires.

“We will rebuild our city stronger,” she said.

Bass noted that the are is still “not quite out of the woods.”

“Please take the warnings seriously and the evacuation notices seriously,” Bass insisted. She advised that people in warning areas should “get prepared now.”

Julia Musto15 January 2025 16:37
1 hour ago

LA County Sheriff Robert Luna says evacuation warnings have gone up due to the wind event

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Wednesday that there were 82,400 residents under evacuation orders and some 90,400 under warnings due to the recent wind event.

A curfew for affected fire areas is still in effect.

Luna noted that more arrests had been made overnight, with 44 at the Sheriff’s Department. A second individual was arrested for impersonating a firefighter.

Luna also said that search and rescue efforts were still underway and around 78 percent completed in Altadena. Teams hope to be done there tomorrow. The same operations started yesterday in Pacific Palisades.

There are 26 active missing persons.

Luna left residents with a sobering message about returning to the area.

“There are things you can’t see that are underground. There are hazards,” he said.

Julia Musto15 January 2025 16:31
1 hour ago

Fire officials warns residents to stay alert as winds whip up

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told reporters Wednesday that while 70mph winds have yet to materialized in the area, the situation could change.

While there was little to no fire growth since Tuesday, Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley noted that there had been 30 to 40mph winds with low humidity around the Palisade Fire and numerous hot spots were burning within the fire footprint.

“I urge everyone to stay alert. The combination of low humidity and strong winds has further dried out the brush, increasing the risk of fire,” she said.

Julia Musto15 January 2025 16:24

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