Wave Staff and Wire Reports
LOS ANGELES — A series of wildfires — aided by Santa Ana wind gusts that reached as high as 98 miles an hour — put the Southland into a state of emergency this week, with Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley calling it “the most destructive natural disaster in the history of Los Angeles.”
President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the state Jan. 8 in response to the fires — some of which he was able to witness firsthand while wrapping up a short visit to the L.A. area. He received a briefing from fire officials before leaving town.
Biden canceled an upcoming trip to Italy so he could “remain focused on directing the full federal response in the days ahead,” according to the White House.
The fire began Jan. 7 in Pacific Palisades around 10:30 a.m. It continued to grow exponentially thanks to heavy fuel loads and powerful winds.
By 1:30 p.m. Jan. 8, the fire was mapped at more than 17,000 acres, with 0% containment, according to Cal Fire, and had spread to Malibu.
In a media briefing alongside city and county officials, police and fire chiefs Jan. 9, L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said the number of structures damaged or destroyed by the blaze is believed to be “in the thousands.”
“Let me be clear — I am making sure that we leave no resource untapped,” Mayor Karen Bass said Jan. 8. “Firefighters are now on scene from across the state, and across the country. I spoke with the president and governor earlier today and they assured me of full federal and state support.
“If you receive an evacuation order, leave immediately. If you receive a warning, get ready. Protect yourself, and each other. And don’t divert firefighters from our strategy. L.A. will rise and I am confident that we will rebuild. Make no mistake, Los Angeles will rebuild stronger than ever.”
A similar fire broke out on the evening of Jan. 7 in the community of Altadena above Pasadena. By Jan. 9, that fire had headed north in the direction of Mt. Wilson, threatening the observatory and broadcast infrastructure.
As of 11 a.m. Jan. 9, the fire had engulfed 10,600 acres and was 0% contained. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said the spread of the fire had been significantly slowed in most areas thanks to efforts of firefighters and diminishing winds.
Five deaths have been attributed to that fire. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna declined to give an update on possible fatalities, saying he was”not satisfied with some of the information” he was receiving. He said the sheriff’s department was working with the county medical examiner, and investigators will eventually make a more thorough search of the Eaton Fire and other fire areas, noting that “some of them look like a bomb was dropped on them.”
The county fire department also reported that four firefighters have been injured fighting the blaze, though no specifics were released.
Marrone said earlier there were “a number of significant injuries” due to the fire, adding that many of the injuries happened to people who failed to heed evacuation orders.
The county Fire Department also noted that 972 structures were destroyed in the fire, and another 84 were damaged, with nearly 40,000 structures being threatened.
Another fire erupted around 5:30 p.m. Jan. 8 in the Hollywood Hills in an area near Solar and Astral drives. That fire moved uphill rapidly threatening homes and burning 43 acres before being contained Jan. 9.
As the reality of the destruction wrought by the firestorm continued, fire crews hoped to take advantage of slightly diminished winds to establish containment lines around the various blazes before more Santa Ana winds return to the region.
Red flag warnings of critical fire danger will remain in place for much of the L.A. area through 6 p.m. Jan. 10. Additional Santa Ana winds were anticipated Jan. 11, with another bout of “moderate to strong” winds forecast for Jan. 13 and 14.
The dangerous winds prompted closure of the Los Angeles Zoo to the public Jan. 7-9. Universal Studios Hollywood and the adjoining Universal CityWalk were closed for the second consecutive day Jan. 9.
All Los Angeles Unified School District schools were closed Jan. 8 and 9 and will remain closed Jan. 10.
As is standard during high-fire-danger conditions, Southern California Edison customers in some areas could have their power turned off under the utility’s Public Safety Power Shutoffs program. The program is designed to de-energize power lines that could potentially be damaged and spark a wildfire during red flag conditions.
As of early Jan. 9, more than 35,000 Edison customers in Los Angeles County had their power cut due to the program. Another 124,000 customers were under consideration for power cuts.
