Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) video screengrab / X
CV NEWS FEED // Ten people have died and more than 34,000 acres have burned in Los Angeles County, California, from fires that began Jan. 7, according to a Jan. 10 Reuters report.
In a morning Jan. 8 press conference with the LAPD, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone confirmed two fatalities of civilians have been reported due to the Eaton Fire. More than 100 structures are destroyed. As of Jan. 10, the number of fatalities from the fires increased to 10. Reuters reported that 180,000 residents have evacuated, and an additional 200,000 residents are under evacuation warnings.
The Eaton Fire, located in the Angeles National Forest, the Altadena area of Los Angeles County, and Pasadena, is burning more than 2,000 acres, Marrone said. There is currently 0% containment of this fire, which is continuing to grow, according to Marrone. More than 500 personnel are assigned to this fire, the cause of which is unknown and under investigation.
Authorities arrested two people for looting in an affected area in the morning of Jan. 8, according to the LAPD Headquarters.
According to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna at the press conference. More than 13,180 structures are designated “at risk” because of the Eaton Fire. Police deputies are continuing to assist people with evacuation.
The Eaton Fire forced a local hospital to evacuate its patients, according to a video shared on X by Nick Sortor.
Due to the Palisades Fire, 37,000, approximately 15,000 structures are at risk, according to Luna.
According to Reuters, firefighters managed to defeat another fire called “the Sunset Fire,” which erupted near Hollywood, late on Jan. 8.
NBC Los Angeles reports that some residents fleeing affected areas were instructed to abandon their cars and go on foot to escape the fires.
“A police officer started telling us, ‘Get out of your car if you want to live,’” resident Adam Handler told NBC Los Angeles.
In the Jan. 8 press conference, Marrone also said that the Palisades fire has destroyed an estimated 1,000 structures and continues to grow.
There are no fatalities reported from the Palisades fire, although there is a “high number” of reported injuries because many residents did not evacuate, according to Marrone. First responders have also sustained injuries in fighting the fire.
More than 1,000 personnel are assigned to fight the Palisades fire, the cause of which is unknown but under investigation, Marrone said.
According to Angelus News, a Catholic church in Palisades has burned down, and a Catholic school may have also sustained damages from the fire. At least 65 Catholic schools in the area closed on Jan. 8.
LA City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said that a major brush fire erupted in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles at 10:10 p.m. local time on Jan. 7. Called the Hurst Fire, it spans more than 800 acres, according to CBS News.
“Together these fires are stretching the capacity of emergency services to their maximum limits,” Crowley said at the Jan. 8 conference.
CBS News reports that another fire, called the Lidia Fire, spans over 300 acres in the area.
Crowley said on Jan. 8 that in addition to fighting the fires, the City of Los Angeles Fire Department has responded to 3,624 emergency calls in the past 24 hours. The average daily call volume is less than 1,500, according to Crowley.
Additional emergency services backup has been requested both in and out of state. Nevada, Oregon, and Washington State first responders are currently traveling to the affected fire areas, according to Marrone.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has deployed the National Guard to also fight the fires, according to an afternoon Jan. 8 report from FOX News.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said at the press conference that the weather conditions were “unprecedented” and “unpredictable” and last night included 75-plus-mile-per-hour winds.
He urged residents to be vigilant, and ready to alert fire authorities in the event that a new fire appears to be starting in one’s neighborhood.
“None of us know where the next [fire] is going to be,” McDonnell said. The winds cause small fires to grow rapidly. He emphasized the importance of being ready to evacuate if ordered to do so.
“Take these warnings, these orders to evacuate very seriously,” McDonnell said, stressing that it can be a difference between life and death.
According to FOX News, winds have been reaching up to 100 MPH near both the Eaton and Palisades Fires.
Fire hydrants in the Palisades are reportedly struggling to meet demands of the firefighting. Citing Chief Executive of the LA Department of Water and Power Janisse Quiñones, the Los Angeles Times reported that by the early morning of Jan. 8, “all water storage tanks in the Palisades area ‘went dry,’ diminishing the flow of water from hydrants in higher elevations.”
The LA Fire Department reportedly underwent a multi-million dollar budget cut for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. According to the New York Post, Mayor Karen Brass decreased the LA Fire Department’s budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year by $17.6 million. The LA Police Department’s budget for the same fiscal year increased by $126 million.
Video footage of the fires is being widely shared on the social media platform X. On Jan. 8, Nick Sortor posted footage of fire raging in Malibu, with a caption warning that a mass casualty situation may have occurred at a local restaurant. The Santa Monica Observer reports the same.
Editors note: This is a developing story and subject to updates.
LA-based NBC News correspondent Liz Kreutz posted video footage while driving down a road where beachfront homes used to be, now razed to the ground by flames.
On Jan. 8, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis posted on X that the state of Florida is ready to assist California in fighting the fires and in rebuilding destroyed communities.
Editors note: This is a developing story and subject to updates. Last updated Jan. 9 at 5:45 PM ET.
