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California fires live updates: Eaton fire destroys up to 5,000 structures as Los Angeles wildfires rage | Los Angeles


LA fires death toll rises to six

The Palisades fire killed two people, according to the LAFD fire chief, bringing the death toll of the Los Angeles wildfires to six. In Pacific Palisades, the fire also destroyed 5,300 structures.

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Key events

Vice-president Kamala Harris has canceled a trip to Singapore, Bahrain and Germany scheduled for next week as wildfires continue to rage in her home state. Her decision follows a similar one made by President Joe Biden, who was due to travel this week to Rome to visit Pope Francis and meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but instead stayed in Washington.

LA fires death toll rises to six

The Palisades fire killed two people, according to the LAFD fire chief, bringing the death toll of the Los Angeles wildfires to six. In Pacific Palisades, the fire also destroyed 5,300 structures.

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Fema administrator Deanne Criswell outlined the disaster aid the agency will offer southern California at a press conference in LA Thursday evening. She described financial assistance available to help Angelenos pay for temporary lodging and destroyed vehicles, as well as assisting the city to establish temporary schools and repair roads. President Joe Biden announced earlier today that the federal government will cover 100% of the costs of disaster response for 180 days.

“We are going to be here with you along the way to help you rebuild in a way that makes you stronger and more resilient,” Criswell said. “As the firefighters continue to bring in resources and support the suppression efforts for these fires with the major disaster declaration, we now have the ability to begin having those conversations about recovery.”

An aircraft fighting the Palisades fire was hit by a drone on Thursday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. LAFD fire chief Anthony Marrone told the Los Angeles Times that the “super scooper” – which can “scoop” water from nearby lakes and oceans to fight fires – was damaged, althgouh the plane landed safely.

He added that the FBI is planning to install “aerial armor” to prevent future drones from entering the firefighting zone.

“It’s a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands,” the FAA said in a statement. “Additionally, the FAA can impose a civil penalty of up to $75,000 against any drone pilot who interferes with wildfire suppression, law enforcement or emergency response operations” during a temporary flight restriction.

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California officials lifted evacuation orders in Sylmar, where residents were previously asked to leave their homes during the Hurst fire, Thursday afternoon.

The fire, which still encompasses 671 acres, has been 10% contained. Although evacuation warnings remain in effect – meaning residents should be prepared to leave again – mandatory orders have been eased.

Kenneth fire grows to nearly 800 acres

The Kenneth fire, which broke out on the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties at about 3.34pm, has grown to 791 acres, according to CalFire.

Officials have ordered mandatory evacuations in surrounding areas as the fire threatens the Los Angeles neighborhood of Calabasas.

Firefighters look over the Kenneth fire. Photograph: Eric Thayer/AP
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LA officials send evacuation alert in error

An emergency alert warning Los Angeles residents to evacuate was sent in error, according to the LA emergency management department.

“Recent @ReadyLACounty alert to evacuate was sent in ERROR. Evacuation orders have not changed,” the department wrote on X.

A local sheriff’s department branch also confirmed the error: “THERE ARE NO EVACUATIONS FOR THE CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD! We understand the confusion caused by the Emergency Alert.”

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As wildfires raged on in Los Angeles on Thursday, some Angelenos returned to their homes as yet others fled from new evacuation zones.

Here is a selection of scenes photographers captured of the devastation left by the still uncontained Palisades and Eaton fires.

A house is threatened as the Palisades Fire grows in the mountains in the community of Topanga. Photograph: David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images
Nancy Belanger pours water on a neighbor’s fire-ravaged property in Pacific Palisades. Photograph: Jae C Hong/AP
People looking over the remains of a home destroyed by the Eaton wildfire in the Altadena. Photograph: Allison Dinner/EPA
Burned Meyer lemons on a tree in a neighborhood damaged by the Eaton wildfire in Altadena. Photograph: Allison Dinner/EPA
Firefighters work to create a firebreak in the Angeles national forest near Mt Wilson. Photograph: Ringo Chiu/Reuters
A person with a bicycle in Pacific Palisades. Photograph: Jae C Hong/AP
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Reporting from her base in Los Angeles, our colleague Lois Beckett has more on what Thursday has been like on the streets of the fire-ravaged megalopolis:

Ash was falling gently over the Historic Highlands neighborhood of Pasadena, California, on Thursday as residents began to grapple with the toll of the Eaton fire still being fought in the mountains above.

This area was under an evacuation order on Wednesday, and the next day the streets were still littered with fallen branches from Tuesday night’s intense windstorm. The fire broke out early in the evening and spread rapidly amid the powerful gusts, killing at least four people and destroying more than 5,000 structures in the area, which also includes the Altadena and Sierra Madre neighborhoods. As of Thursday afternoon, the blaze had burned 13,690 acres and remained 0% contained.

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Public health officials are urging Angelenos to avoid all contact with ocean water, according to a statement issued on Thursday.

The county public health department “advises beach users to avoid all water contact, especially near discharging storm drains, creeks, and rivers due to potential debris from fires and contamination”.

The advisory is expected to remain in effect until three days after firefighting efforts cease to lower the risk of exposure to potentially toxic chemicals and debris washed into the Pacific.

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LAFD issues evacuation order for new brushfire

The Los Angeles fire department has issued another mandatory evacuation order for a new brushfire, named the Kenneth fire. The blaze currently encompasses about 50 acres.

LAFD has called for residents to evacuate the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles from Vanowen Street south to Burbank Boulevard and County Lane Road east to East Valley Circle Boulevard.

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Fema administrator Deanne Criswell will visit Los Angeles to tour the region devastated by the Palisades fire later today, congresswoman Judy Chu said at the LAFD press conference Thursday afternoon.

Eaton fire destroys up to 5,000 structures, officials say

The Eaton fire has grown to 13,690 acres, LA fire department fire chief Anthony Marrone said at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

“It’s grown since our morning press conference because the fire is making a run towards the historic Mount Wilson area. We are still at 0% containment,” he said, adding that 1,527 personnel had been assigned to fight the fire.

He added that one firefighter has been injured in the fight and that 4,000 to 5,000 structures have likely been destroyed in the blaze.

The ruins of Altadena in the wake of the Eaton fire. Photograph: Zoe Meyers/AFP/Getty Images
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LA Sheriff hopes to implement curfew

LA county sheriff Robert Luna said his department is hoping to implement a curfew beginning Thursday, from 6pm to 6am, in order to combat looting in areas impacted by the Palisades and Eaton fires. The news came during a press conference hosted by the LA Fire Department Thursday afternoon.

“I think most of you heard our press conference earlier today, we had a number of looting arrests throughout the entire county region. That is unacceptable behavior,” he said, adding that he hopes the curfew “will help send a stronger message keep people out of the impacted areas so we don’t continuously victimize the people who have already been victimized, who have lost their hope their homes.”

Although the situation is in flux, he said the sheriff’s office has received between 12 and 16 arrests related to looting. He also confirmed that the fatality count remains at about five deaths between the two fires, though homicide detectives have not yet been able to enter the affected fire zones.

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Sam Levin

Sam Levin

The California prison system has now deployed nearly 800 incarcerated firefighters to fight the devastating blazes in the Los Angeles area, officials said on Thursday afternoon.

The California department of corrections and rehabilitation (CDCR) said it had 783 imprisoned firefighters out in the field responding to the emergencies. That figure has doubled from the day prior.

The incarcerated crews are embedded with the California department of forestry and fire protection (Cal Fire).

The CDCR operates more than 30 “fire camps” across the state where people serving state prison sentences are trained in firefighting and support authorities as they respond to fires, floods and other disasters.

The wages are meager, but are considered high-paying jobs behind bars, with CDCR firefighters earning between $5.80 and $10.24 a day and an additional $1 per hour when responding to active emergencies. When responding to disasters, they may earn $26.90 over a 24-hour shift.

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Palisades fire grows to nearly 20,000 acres

The Palisades fire has grown to 19,978 acres and remains 0% contained, fire officials said.

Approximately 5,316 structures have been destroyed in the fire, based on an aerial survey conducted on Wednesday, they said in an update a short while ago.

The damaged structures include homes and businesses, as well as structures like RVs and sheds.

Beachfront homes in Malibu destroyed by the Palisades fire. Photograph: Mark J Terrill/AP
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California governor Gavin Newsom thanked Californians for their generosity, noting the “extraordinary” and “selfless” acts that he has seen during the crisis.

“Good Samaritans jumping to aid neighbors. Humanitarians like Chef José Andrés providing meals to responders,” Newsom wrote in a post on X.

Andrés has deployed a relief team from his World Central Kitchen organization to provide sandwiches and water to those in need.

Harris noted that many insurance companies have cancelled insurance for many families who have been affected by the fires.

This will “delay or place an added burden on their ability to recover”, she said.

Many of these families will have lost everything and will not have the resources to recover “in any meaningful way”, she added.

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