Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Sheila Kelliher talks about how persistent winds prevented firefighters from extinguishing the flames surrounding parts of LA and allowed a “dramatic fire” to engulf the area.
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Fires began to break out in areas around LA on Tuesday night, with more burning on Wednesday. Currently the six fires are the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hurst Fire, Olivas Fire, Lidia Fire and Woodley Fire. Officials said early Wednesday evening that those fires 0 percent contained.
“Mother Nature was the star of the show and made it a real challenge for us to fight this fire,” Kelliher told “The Story” on Wednesday, explaining how Tuesday night’s winds were “higher” than usual.
The Palisades fire destroys a Christmas tree at a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Ethan Swope)
Calling the charred hillsides “dramatic and apocalyptic,” Kelliher said she watched as winds “whipped up to 70, 80, even 100 miles per hour,” further fueling the fire.
The fire captain explained how the teams they fought with several obstacles, one of which is having to rely on residential water systems, which are not robust enough to support a “15-hour fight”.
“They all use water. They’re just not designed for that. They’re for residential use, not wildland firefighting,” she said.
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Lack of water through air support due to strong winds also made it difficult to contain the flames. Kelliher said the teams had to rely on groundwater in residential buildings to put out what they could, without the plane crashing overhead.
“So working with that and really figuring out that balance is where we’re at,” she said.
To be able to get firefighters into the air, the fire captain said wind gusts below 40 miles per hour are the “tipping point.”
“We’re just waiting, again, for Mother Nature to cooperate. And they say, you know, the forecast says around 6:00 tonight, it might start to taper off. Well, let’s hope it does,” Kelliher said.
Flames from the Palisades Fire engulf a building on Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful storm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to more than 15,000 acres and 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, while another large fire continues to burn near Eaton Canyon in Altadena. (Photo: Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
“The Eaton Canyon fire is 10,000 acres, a little over 10,000 acres. So it has the potential to continue to grow if those winds don’t let up. We’re not out of the woods with any of these. So we’re really doing what we can,” she continued .
More firefighters from outside LA County are expected to arrive in the meantime to help reduce the load current fighters. Kelliher explained that some reinforcements could start arriving as early as Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
“We pre-deploy across the county and make sure we’re covered. But then that’s where mutual aid comes into play, which is really important. And there are other agencies that we work side by side with,” she said, noting that there are a lot of “tired firefighters “. “When the call goes out, other agencies step up and come in to support not only from Northern California, Southern California, Orange County, Ventura County, but out of state. So that call went through our Chief Marrone as reason one and they committed and help is on the way.”
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For those seeking shelter, Kelliher said California wildfire websites have many resources. “Everybody is getting involved,” she said, explaining how many industries are opening their gyms, places of worship and the Pasadena Convention Center open to people in need.
“There are a lot of places that really work with the community to help people find shelter,” she said.
