LA area’s 2 biggest blazes burn at least 10,000 structures, while new fire leads to more evacuations
LOS ANGELES — The two largest wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area have burned at least 10,000 homes, buildings and other structures, officials said Thursday as they urged more people to follow evacuation orders after another blaze ignited and grew rapidly.
The fast-moving Kenneth Fire started in the late afternoon in the San Fernando Valley, just two miles from a school serving as a shelter for fire evacuees, and moved into neighboring Ventura County by the evening.
Just hours earlier, officials expressed encouragement after firefighters, aided by calmer winds and help from out-of-state crews, saw the first signs of successfully pushing back forces in the region. devastating forest fires which have killed ten people so far.
“We expect this fire to spread quickly due to the high winds,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, echoing the forecast that called for winds to strengthen Thursday evening through Friday morning.
The orders came as Los Angeles County officials announced that the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, which started Tuesday evening, has burned more than 5,000 structures, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. To the west, in Pacific Palisades, the largest of the LA-area fires has destroyed more than 5,300 structures.
All of the major fires that broke out in the Los Angeles area this week are within a radius of about 25 miles north of downtown, spreading fire. feeling of fear and sadness in the country’s second largest city.
Dozens of blocks were razed to smoldering rubble in the scenic Pacific Palisades. Only the outlines of houses and their chimneys remained. In Malibu, blackened strings of palm trees were all that remained above the rubble where oceanfront homes once stood.
At least five churches, a synagogue, seven schools, two libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and groceries were set on fire. Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and Topanga Ranch Motel, local attractions dating from the 1920s also burned down. The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage or details on the number of buildings set on fire.
AccuWeather, a private company that provides data on weather and its impacts, on Thursday increased its estimate of damage and economic loss to $135-$150 billion.
Firefighters made significant gains Thursday in slowing the spread of the major fires, but containment remained far out of reach.
The crew also extinguished a fire in the Hollywood Hills using water droplets from aircraft, allowing an evacuation to be lifted on Thursday. The fire that ignited late Wednesday in the heart of the entertainment industry came dangerously close to igniting the famed Hollywood Bowl outdoor concert venue.
The fire brigade does not yet know the cause of the fires, but is actively investigating.
Earlier this week, hurricane force winds were blowing blew emberssetting the hills of Southern California on fire.
At this point, it’s impossible to quantify the extent of the destruction other than “total devastation and loss,” said Barbara Bruderlin, head of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce.
“There are areas where everything is gone, there’s not even a piece of wood left, it’s just dirt,” Bruderlin said.
Of the 10 deaths so far, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley confirmed that two were involved in the Palisades Fire. County officials said the Eaton fire had killed five people.
Cadaver dogs and crews are searching through the rubble, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy, waited for an ambulance to arrive, but they never made it, Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, told The Washington Post.
Shari Shaw told it KTL that she tried to get her 66-year-old brother, Victor Shaw, evacuated Tuesday night, but he wanted to stay and fight the fire. Crews found his body with a garden hose in his hand.
On Thursday, recovery crews pulled a body from the rubble of a Malibu beach residence on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. A charred washer and dryer were among the few things left.
At least 180,000 people were under evacuation orders, and the fires have consumed about 47 square miles (117 square kilometers) — about the size of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles history.
All schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second largest, will be closed Friday as heavy smoke billows over the city and ash rains down in parts. Classes will not resume until conditions improve, officials said.
At least 20 arrests have been made for looting, and the city of Santa Monica has imposed a curfew because of the lawlessness, officials said. National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles Thursday evening. The county sheriff said that to protect property they would be stationed near the fire-ravaged areas and a curfew was expected to be in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Flames destroyed the houses of several celebritiesincluding Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton.
Jamie Lee Curtis pledged $1 million to establish a “relief fund” for those affected by the fires that affected all economic levels of the city, from the city’s wealthy to the working class.
California’s wildfire season According to recent data, it starts earlier and ends later due to rising temperatures and reduced rainfall associated with climate change.
Dry wind, included the infamous Santa Anashave contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, where no more than 1 inch of rain has fallen since early May.
Robert Lara tearfully searched the remains of his Altadena home Thursday, hoping to find a safe containing a set of earrings that once belonged to his great-great-grandmother.
“All our memories, all our sentimental attachments, things that have been gifted from generation to generation to generation, are now gone,” he said.
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Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio, and Watson from San Diego. Associated Press journalists Manuel Valdes, Eugene Garcia, Krysta Fauria and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Ethan Swope in Pasadena, California; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska; Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Janie Har in San Francisco; Brian Melley in London; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland; and Tammy Webber in Detroit contributed.