bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Reuters

Wildfires menacing Los Angeles have killed at least 10 people and devoured nearly 10,000 structures, but four out of the five major blazes roaring across the region showed some signs of being contained as of early Friday.
The Pacific Palisades fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on the city’s western flank and the Eaton fire in the east near Pasadena rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history, consuming more than 34,000 acres (13,750 hectares) – some 53 square miles – turning entire neighbourhoods to ash.
About 180,000 residents have been forced to flee.
The death toll rose to 10 from seven, officials said late on Thursday.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said he expected the number of dead to grow.
“It looks like an atomic bomb dropped in these areas. I don’t expect good news, and we’re not looking forward to those numbers.”
Officials said the Eaton fire had damaged or destroyed 4,000 to 5,000 structures while the Palisades fire destroyed or damaged another 5,300.
Private forecaster AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic loss at US$135 billion to US$150 billion, portending an arduous recovery and soaring homeowners’ insurance costs.
“We’re already looking ahead to aggressively rebuild the city of Los Angeles,” said Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, who faced criticism from president-elect Donald Trump and other Republicans over her handling of the disaster.
President Joe Biden promised the government would reimburse 100 per cent of the recovery for the next 180 days to pay for debris and hazard material removal, temporary shelters and first responder salaries.
“I told the governor, local officials, spare no expense to do what they need to do and contain these fires,” Biden said.


While skies buzzed with aircraft dropping retardant and water on the flaming hills, a rapidly growing blaze broke out on Thursday near Calabasas, one of the wealthiest US cities and home to numerous celebrities.
The so-called Kenneth fire expanded to 388 hectares in hours.
With nerves on edge, Los Angeles County mistakenly sent an evacuation notice countywide to a population of 9.6 million, although it was meant only for the area of the Kenneth fire, officials said. A correction was quickly sent.
Some Pacific Palisades residents ventured back to areas flames had swept through, where chimneys were left looming over charred waste and burnt-out vehicles.

“We are alive. That’s all that matters,” private security guard Bilal Tukhi said outside his employer’s damaged home, saying the scene reminded him of his native, war-torn Afghanistan.
School was cancelled for a second day on Friday, due to the smoke, ash and particulates in the air.
Winds dropped on Thursday from the 100-mile-per-hour (160-kph) gusts seen earlier in the week, permitting crucial aerial support for ground crews.
But officials said winds intensified again overnight, and red flag conditions were expected until Friday afternoon.
The Eaton fire reached the grounds of the Mount Wilson Observatory, where a century ago Edwin Hubble discovered the existence of galaxies beyond the Milky Way and that the universe is expanding. The Observatory later said the flare-up appeared under control.

Firefighting crews managed to fully control a fire in the Hollywood Hills, after flames had raged atop the ridge overlooking Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame.
The two biggest conflagrations – the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires – formed a pincer around the city so enormous that it was visible from space.
Once-palatial homes stood in ruins, while downed power lines and abandoned cars littered roads.
Residents wearing masks rode bicycles, hoping to catch a glimpse of their damaged houses.
John Carr, 65, defied evacuation orders to successfully protect his home.
“The house was built by my mother and father in 1960 and I lived here my whole life so there’s a lot of memories here. And I think I owed it to them as well to try my best to save it.”
In Altadena, a racially and economically diverse community, many residents were concerned government resources would be channelled towards high-profile areas popular with A-listers and insurance companies might short-change poorer households.

“They’re not going to give you the value of your house … if they do you really have to fight for it,” said Kay Young, 63, her eyes welling up with tears as she stared at the remnants of a home in her family for generations.
At least 20 arrests were made for looting, and the city of Santa Monica declared a curfew because of lawlessness.
National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday.
“We’re throwing everything at our disposal – including our National Guard service members – to protect communities in the days to come,” Governor Gavin Newsom said.
“And to those who would seek to take advantage of evacuated communities, let me be clear: looting will not be tolerated.”
Aerial video showed block after block of levelled homes, while satellite images showed the two largest fires forming a pincer around the city and thick plumes of smoke being blown out over the Pacific Ocean.
Local TV stations warned that broadcasts could be knocked off the air as one blaze climbed closer to a mountaintop that hosts antennas.
Residents worried about breathing air among the dirtiest in the world. Officials warned anyone living near a burn zone to boil water before drinking it, saying ash and debris had contaminated reservoirs.
The homes of film stars were among those consumed by flames.
Actor Jamie Lee Curtis said her family would donate US$1 million to relief efforts.
Firefighters from several other US states as well as Canada were being rushed to California, in addition to US federal personnel and material.
“Canada’s here to help,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose nation has experienced its own severe wildfires.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Bloomberg


Biden’s blocking of US Steel deal latest sign of globalisation in retreat

Trump’s threat to gobble up Greenland tests Nato unity, serves as wake-up call for Europe

Furious Los Angeles residents slam firefighters ‘busy’ saving homes of rich and famous

Storm brewing in China’s solar-panel sector threatens to spiral out of control

United States

Hellish Los Angeles wildfires kill at least 10, burn at least 10,000 structures

Homes smoulder near the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Photo: AFP

Flames engulf a structure in Pasadena. Photo: Reuters

A plume of smoke over Los Angeles. Photo: AP

Water being dropped by helicopter on the Kenneth fire. Photo: AP

Homes in Pacific Palisades on October 20 (top) and on January 9 after the fire. Photo: Maxar Technologies via AFP

Celebrities among those who lost homes in devastating Los Angeles fires

Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard. Photo: AFP

A wildfire burns homes on a hilltop in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Photo: AP

Raging Los Angeles wildfire engulfs upscale Pacific Palisades, triggers evacuations

Flames rise as a fire advances on homes in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Photo: AP

People evacuate as a wildfire breaks out near Pacific Palisades. Photo: Reuters

The fire ravaging a neighbourhood. Photo: AP

As Los Angeles burns, Trump offers blame rather than sympathy

A home is engulfed in flames during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles County on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

The Eaton fire in Altadena, California, is seen in a satellite image on Wednesday. Image: Maxar Technologies via AP

California Governor Gavin Newsom surveys the fire damage in Pacific Palisades on Wednesday. Photo: The Orange County Register via AP

The Eaton fire burns a vehicle in Altadena, California, on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Los Angeles wildfires spread to Hollywood as mayor declares inferno ‘the big one’

Firefighters protect a structure as the Eaton Fire advances in Altadena, California, on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Water is dropped by helicopter on the burning Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills. Photo: AP

A firefighter battles the Palisades fire on the west side of Los Angeles. Photo: Reuters

A wildfire-ravaged property in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood. Photo: AP

Multiple fires cover the skyline with smoke in Los Angeles. Photo: Reuters

A satellite image shows smoke covering houses after devastating wildfires, in Altadena, California. Photo: Maxar Technologies via Reuters

News

World

United States & Canada

The National Guard has been called in, as the city reels from the worst fires in its history


The National Guard has been called in, as the city reels from the worst fires in its history.


Natural disasters

Extreme weather

Hollywood

Weather