Two dead as wildfires rage across LA County
Matt Simons
LOS ANGELES (CN) — Multiple wildfires stoked by severe winds continue to blaze throughout Los Angeles County, killing at least two people and forcing the evacuation of more than 80,000 residents as of Wednesday.
The blazes began Tuesday during what the National Weather Service described as a "life-threatening and destructive" windstorm" blasting across an area that has not seen significant rainfall in eight months.
The severity of the Southern California wildfires prompted Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency on Tuesday evening.
"This is a highly dangerous windstorm that’s creating extreme fire risk — and we’re not out of the woods," the governor said in a statement. He instructed citizens to pay attention to weather reports and follow guidance from emergency officials.
The biggest of the blazes, the Palisades Fire, started Tuesday morning close to the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on the west side. Nearly 12,000 acres acres have been blackened, and the fire has driven at least 30,000 people from their homes. Local television news showed dramatic footage of burning million-dollar homes and luxury vehicles — abandoned by residents who got stuck in gridlock trying to flee the fire — bulldozed to the side of the road by Cal Fire to make room for fire trucks heading into the area.
"Extreme fire behavior, including short- and long-range spotting, continues to challenge firefighting efforts for the Palisades Fire," the Cal Fire said in an incident update.
Most of the neighborhood with its winding streets and trails into the Santa Monica Mountains is under a mandatory evacuation order, according to the LA Fire Department, with homes under immediate threat.
The Palisades Fire stands at zero percent contained according to Cal Fire, which assumed control of the incident from The Los Angeles Fire Department at 8:00 a.m. Wednesday. Before turning over the situation, the fire department reported several injured civilians and firefighters.
Firefighters are also battling a larger fire near Eaton Canyon in the Angeles National Forest near Altadena. The wildfire has burned more than 10,000 acres and more than 52,000 residents have fled since the fire began late Tuesday. Multiple structures have been damaged or destroyed as the wind-driven brush fire continues, according to Cal Fire.
Smaller fires like the Hurst Fire in Sylmar and the Woodley Fire in the Sepulveda Basin continue to divide fire officials' resources and attention. The Hurst Fire, initially estimated at only 100 acres in size, had grown to more than 500 acres as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Woodley Fire appears more under control. Officials originally reported the fire had burned 75 acres, but later reduced its burn area to an estimated 30 acres just before 9:00 a.m.
At least 22 school districts have announced full or partial closures, according to the LA County Office of Education. Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco said her district would make an announcement sometime Wednesday when reopening will be possible.
"We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as needed," the superintendent said in a statement.
The fires are so demanding the area's water supply is under threat, the LA Times reported. At 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday, all fire hydrants in the Palisades area “went dry” during the firefight, according to Janisse Quiñones, chief executive and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
"We have three large water tanks, about a million gallons each," Quiñones told reporters. "We ran out of water in the first tank about 4:45 p.m. yesterday, we ran out of water on the second tank about 8:30 p.m. and the third tank about 3:00 a.m. this morning."
The Biden administration took action on Wednesday to support local firefighting efforts, directing federal agencies to provide additional firefighting aircraft, helicopters and fire engines to the effort in hopes of turning the tide.
The White House reported it is in regular contact with Governor Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other local officials, declaring it will continue to monitor the situation and provide support as needed.
Strong winds with gusts up to 60 mph are expected to continue through Thursday in the Palisades area.
The cause of the fires is still under investigation.