The affluent suburbs of Calabasas and Hidden Hills, home to the Kardashians, have been placed under urgent evacuation orders as another apocalyptic fire rages through West Hills.
Heroic first responders were alerted to a new fire in the upper Los Angeles-Ventura County border, dubbed the Kenneth Fire, which quickly spread through the West Hills and entered homes in nearby Calabasas and Hidden Hills.
Officials issued a chilling warning Thursday evening urging residents not to ignore evacuation orders, with Senator Adam Schiff bluntly revealing: “If you stay, you’re going to die.”
“If you get an evacuation order, leave,” he said. ‘You may think you can outrun a fire, but you can’t outrun these fires. If you stay, you will die in it.”
Extraordinary drone footage highlights the unprecedented extent of damage across Southern California, as beautiful homes, multimillion-dollar celebrity enclaves and a total of 10,000 structures have been reduced to gray, ash-covered rubble.
The death toll has also risen to seven, but officials have warned it is likely to continue rising as dogs trained to detect human remains gain access to the charred remains of properties in fire-ravaged neighborhoods.
The fast-moving Kenneth Fire already covers 960 acres and threatens the Malibu Canyon area north of the 101 Freeway near Calabasas, home to Kourtney Kardashian and Will Smith. Kim and Khloe Kardashian live in nearby Hidden Hills.
Mandatory evacuation orders are in effect as firefighters drop water bombs from the sky in an attempt to contain the blaze, which is being fanned by strong Santa Ana winds.
Extraordinary drone footage highlights the unprecedented extent of damage in Southern California
Mandatory evacuation orders are in effect in Calabasas and Hidden Hills, causing chaos on the roads
The affluent suburbs of Calabasas and Hidden Hills, home of the Kardashians, have been placed under urgent evacuation orders as another apocalyptic fire rages through West Hills
A helicopter drops water on the Kenneth wildfire in the Woodland Hills
Extraordinary drone footage highlights the unprecedented extent of damage across Southern California, as beautiful homes and a total of 10,000 structures have been reduced to gray, ash-covered rubble
The road out of Calabasas is already congested with bumper-to-bumper traffic as locals heed the warnings and leave their homes.
Residents across Southern California have been warned for days to have bags full of important documents and belongings packed and ready in case of an emergency.
At 3:45 p.m. the fire was reported to be 50 hectares, but had exploded to 791 hectares by 4:45 p.m. By 6 p.m. it covered 960 hectares.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna urged “patience” with the official death counts.
“Right now, we honestly don’t know,” he said. ‘I think the death toll will rise. I hope I’m wrong.’
Across Los Angeles, about 180,000 people have been issued mandatory evacuation orders, while another 200,000 have been put on alert and warned to consider fleeing their homes.
Los Angeles County officials say an evacuation order alert was mistakenly issued Thursday afternoon for residents near the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills.
The warning was only intended for residents of Calabasas and Agoura Hills.
Across Los Angeles, about 180,000 people have been issued mandatory evacuation orders, while another 200,000 have been put on alert and warned to consider fleeing their homes.
Locals have been ordered to evacuate as the fires continue to spread across Southern California
Kim Kardashian’s $60 million home is located in the Hidden Hills
The damage from the two largest fires – the Pacific Palisades fire and the Eaton inferno – is enormous. Up to 10,000 structures have been wiped out, officials say
Los Angeles County officials say an evacuation order alert was mistakenly issued Thursday afternoon for residents near the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills. Traffic from Calabasas is already backing up
A motorcyclist stops to look at a burning house during the Eaton fire
The damage from the two largest fires – the Pacific Palisades fire and the Eaton inferno – is enormous. Up to 10,000 structures have been wiped out, officials say.
David Acuna, a spokesman for Cal Fire, issued a chilling new warning to Californians as they look ahead to the future and consider rebuilding their lives.
“There really isn’t a fire season, it’s a fire year,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years and I’ve never seen it this bad.”
Similarly, Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin said, “The level of destruction is staggering.”
Neither of the two major fires has been brought under control in any way.
Eaton now covers 13,690 acres, while the larger Palisades fire extends to more than 17,200 acres.
Embattled LA Mayor Karen Bass held a press conference Thursday afternoon and vowed to prosecute anyone caught looting “to the full extent of the law,” amid warnings that evacuation orders are mandatory and as strong as curfews, which have city is now also considering introducing .
The high fire risk will continue through Friday, National Weather Service Los Angeles meteorologists said in a social media post Thursday afternoon.
The last endangered suburbs, Calabasas and Hidden Hills, are home to the Kardashians
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Los Angeles County officials say an evacuation order alert was accidentally sent out Thursday afternoon for residents near the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills. The warning was only intended for residents of Calabasas and Agoura Hills
Winds in Santa Ana will be moderate to strong Thursday evening, focusing the fire threat in the area on Los Angeles and Ventura County through Friday morning.
“However, the threat will not end after Friday,” the post said. Offshore winds will continue early next week, with peaks on Sunday and Tuesday through Wednesday.
The systemic failures in the deep blue city have led many to wonder how this got out of hand — and led many to call for the resignation of Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom.
With many angry people saying there was no water available for firefighters, Biden explained that the problems are self-inflicted to prevent the flames from fanning further.
“What I know from conversations with the governor is that there are concerns that there is also a water shortage,” he said during a news conference Thursday.
“The fact is that the utilities, understandably, shut off power because they were afraid the lines carrying energy would blow up and cause more fires.
“When it did that, it shut off the ability to pump the water, which is what’s causing the lack of water in these hydrants.”