2 Dead in Los Angeles Fires as Over 7,000 Acres Continue to Burn
Los Angeles’ Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires each remain at 0% containment as of Wednesday morning, as hundreds of thousands of locals have either received evacuation orders or warning notices after the fires began Tuesday.
The Los Angeles Fire Department held a press conference at 8 a.m. PT on Wednesday to offer an update on the county’s unprecedented urban wildfire disaster — including two civilian deaths related to the Eaton fire.
“We have well over 5,000 acres that have burned, and the fire is growing. We have no percentage of containment. We have an estimated 1,000 structures destroyed, and also no reported fatalities and a high number of significant injuries to residents who did not evacuate,” LAFD Chief Anthony Marrone said of the Palisades fire. “In addition to first responders who are on the fire land, we have over 1,000 personnel assigned, and the cause of the fire is unknown. However, it is under investigation.”
“We have over 2,000 acres burning at this time, and the fire continues to grow with 0% containment. We have over 500 personnel assigned and, unfortunately, we have two reported fatalities to civilians, unknown cause at this time, and we do have a number of significant injuries,” he continued of the Eaton fire. “We have over 100 structures destroyed, and the cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation.”
“We are absolutely not out of danger yet,” L.A. City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley added. “Within the city of Los Angeles, with these two major brush fires, our department has responded to 3,624 9-1-1 calls for service. And to put that in perspective, our average is just under 1,500 calls in a 24-hour period.”
Emergency services are stretched to their limits with water-drop aircrafts grounded until conditions clear up. Officials also ask that people conserve water and stay off the roads. More than 80,000 locals are under mandatory evacuations and two people have been arrested for looting in impacted areas.
Public evacuation shelters are currently in operation at the Westwood Recreation Center, the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, the Pasadena Convention Center and El Camino Real Charter High School. The Altadena fire station itself was even evacuated.
More than 1,400 firefighters have been deployed, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom, with assistance from both nearby and out-of-state departments and further asks out to anyone with firefighting experience. At least 19 local school districts are closed for Wednesday.
The Santa Ana winds — the worst in over a decade — reached 99 mph in Altadena overnight with similar stats in surrounding areas, per the National Weather Service, which noted, “Critical fire weather conditions are expected to continue on Thursday for portions of Southern California.” Local red flag restrictions remain in place until further notice, per L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, though she herself is en route back from Dallas.
In Hollywood, many industry events have been halted due to the fires and weather. Premieres for “On Call,” “Unstoppable,” “Better Man” and “The Pitt” were all axed, and the SAG Awards decided to cancel their in-person nominations.
Additionally, Runyon Canyon, Griffith Park, the L.A Zoo, the Hollywood Reservoir, the Hollywood Sign, Universal Studios Hollywood and CityWalk all closed on Wednesday, and President Joe Biden even postponed a Tuesday speaking engagement in Joshua Tree due to the winds.
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