Firefighters were battling early Thursday to control a series of large fires in the Los Angeles area that killed five people, devastated communities and sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes.
The latest fires broke out Wednesday night in the Hollywood Hills, closing in on the heart of the city and the roots of its entertainment industry and putting densely populated neighborhoods on edge during extremely windy and dry conditions.
It came as firefighters battled to control three other large fires that killed five people, evacuated 130,000 people and devastated communities from the Pacific coast to inland Pasadena.
The Sunset Fire burned near the Hollywood Bowl and about a mile from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Strong winds that fueled the flames and led to chaotic evacuations have subsided somewhat and were not expected to be as strong Thursday, although they could pick up again early in the weekend. The respite could give firefighters a chance to make progress in containing the blazes that have ripped through this sprawling region, including large ones in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas.
The wind eased somewhat Wednesday, a day after hurricane-force winds blew embers through the air, burning block after block, and hundreds of firefighters from other states arrived to help.
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said they were able to contain the fire because “Mother Nature was a little kinder to us today than she was yesterday.”
Palisades Fire most destructive in LA history
Earlier fires, which consumed a total of about 108 square kilometers, showed that the danger was nowhere near over.
Hurricane-force winds blew embers through the air, burning block after block in the coastal community of Pacific Palisades as well as in Altadena, a community near Pasadena. Nearly 2,000 homes, businesses and other structures were destroyed in those fires — called the Palisades and Eaton fires — and the number is expected to rise.
More than half a dozen schools in the Los Angeles area were damaged or destroyed.
The Palisades fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles history in terms of damage, although five of the wildfire deaths on record in Los Angeles so far have been from the Eaton fire.
US President Joe Biden signed a federal emergency declaration after arriving at a Santa Monica fire station for a briefing with Gov. Gavin Newsom, who sent National Guard troops to help.
Warmer temperatures and less rain mean longer fire season California’s wildfire season is starting earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and reduced precipitation linked to climate change, according to recent data.
‘Somewhere that doesn’t really exist anymore’
In Palisades Village, the public library, two large grocery stores, two banks and several boutiques were destroyed.
“It’s just really weird coming back to somewhere that’s not really there anymore,” said Dylan Vincent, who returned to the neighborhood to get some belongings to find his elementary school burned and entire blocks leveled.
In Pasadena, Fire Chief Chad Augustin said the city’s water system was stretched and was further hampered by the power outage, but even without those problems, firefighters would not have been able to contain the fire because of the intense winds fanning the fire.
“Those erratic wind gusts were throwing embers several miles ahead of the fire,” he said.
As flames raced through his neighborhood, Jose Velasquez sprayed water on his family home in Altadena as embers rained down on the roof. He managed to save their home, but others were not so lucky.
“So we had to call a few people, and then people were texting us, asking if their house was still standing,” he said.
– We had to tell them that it wasn’t.
Blackened swimming pools, burned sports cars
The fast moving flames had no time to escape.
Police took cover inside their patrol cars, and residents of the senior center were pushed in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to safety.
Outside the burned areas, residents worked wearing N95 masks, unable to escape the toxic smoke that hung over vast swaths of the city.
The extent of the destruction was just becoming clear: block after block of California Mission-style homes and bungalows were reduced to charred remains dotted with stone fireplaces and blackened archways. A sumptuous iron fence wrapped around the smoldering frame of a house.
Apocalyptic scenes spread for miles. Swimming pools were black with soot, and sports cars fell on melted tires.
The actors were left without homes
The flames marched toward densely populated and affluent neighborhoods, including Calabasas and Santa Monica, home of California’s rich and famous.
Mandy Moore, Cary Elwes and Paris Hilton are among the stars who said they lost their homes on Wednesday.
Billy Crystal and his wife, Janice, lost their home of 45 years in the Palisades fire.
“We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every centimeter of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that cannot be taken away,” Kristali wrote in a statement.
Deadly and devastating wildfires are raging through the Los Angeles area, fanned by high winds. Canadian actor and comedian Shaun Majumder says his house was not affected; however, he has no power and his family can feel the strong winds.
Several Hollywood studios halted production, the Critics Choice Awards on Wednesday were postponed until January 26. and Universal Studios closed its theme park between Pasadena and Pacific Palisades.
In sports, the disaster prompted the NHL to postpone the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.
The NBA Lakers still hosted a home game against Charlotte on Thursday night.
The NFL said it is evaluating the fire’s potential impact on the playoffs. The Los Angeles Rams host the Minnesota Vikings in a game scheduled for Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
