SVE NEWS & BBC.COM Sharing Series — California’s fire death toll doubles as chaos grips the city

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  1. On the incinerated streets of Pacific Palisadespublished at 13:32

    Media caption,

    Watch: BBC’s Emma Vardy walks through fire-wrecked Pacific Palisades

    Earlier today, the BBC’s Emma Vardy found utter devastation in what was until recently a typical American neighbourhood in the Pacific Palisades.

    Among the debris are burned out cars, people’s possessions and other remnants of homes that have been destroyed in the blaze.

  2. Death toll rises to 10published at 13:16

    Breaking

    The death toll from the wildfires has risen to 10, authorities say – double the figure announced just hours earlier.

    The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner says the remains of these people are still being identified.

    “The identification may take several weeks as the Department of Medical Examiner is not able to respond to all death locations due to the fire conditions and safety concerns,” they said in a statement on Thursday night.

    The process of notifying the victims’s legal next of kin is also under way.

  3. Possible arson suspect taken into custody near Palisades firepublished at 13:09

    Los Angeles police say they have detained a man suspected of trying to light a fire in the Woodland Hills area of the city.

    A statement said that, at 16:32 local time on Thursday (00:32 GMT on Friday), officers received a call about a “possible arson suspect on the 21700 block of Ybarra Road”.

    “Comments of the call stated a male was heard stating a suspect was ‘attempting to light a fire’,” it said.

    “The suspect is in custody and was transported to Topanga Station.”

    Ybarra Road is immediately north of the area where the Palisades fire has been burning since Tuesday, but police stressed that an investigation was continuing and that they could not confirm “any connection to any fire by this suspect at this time”.

  4. Nearly 800 inmates fighting the wildfirespublished at 12:56

    Claire Betzer
    Reporting from DC

    California’s Department of Corrections confirmed to the BBC that nearly 800 incarcerated individuals are embedded with CalFire to slow the spread of the wildfires, as part of a voluntary program.

    CalFire has about 4,700 of its own first responders deployed now, so it’s a surprisingly significant number of incarcerated people supporting the response.

    The California department of corrections and rehabilitation runs firefighting training camps across the state for prison inmates, who support authorities’ disaster response.

    Over 1,800 incarcerated volunteer firefighters are housed in these camps, officials said. They typically earn little to no pay, according to rights groups.

  5. In Pictures: The aftermath of LA’s devastating wildfirespublished at 12:45

    Entire houses have been torched to the ground as the worst wildfires in Los Angeles’ history tear through the city’s neighbourhoods.

    As firefighting efforts continue for a third day, some residents have returned to clear the debris that’s left of their homes.

    Aerial view of a residential district, with most houses burnt to the groundImage source,Getty Images
    A view of burnt houses and a burnt car destroyed by the Eaton wildfireImage source,Getty Images
    Aerial view of a row of burnt beachfront houses, with two people standing in front of themImage source,Getty Images
    Aerial view of a neighbour with burnt houses and some treesImage source,Getty Images
  6. Neighbouring states pitch in to help fight the blazespublished at 12:33

    Resources to combat the California wildfires are being pulled in from multiple states – including Oregon, Utah and Nevada – said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

    The department also announced that firefighters, aviation assets, and other support staff from the California National Guard have joined firefighting efforts.

    This comes in addition to the Cal Guard’s earlier deployment of helicopters, aircraft, and personnel to Southern California.

  7. What’s the status of the California fires?published at 12:21

    A map shows the five active fires in the Los Angeles area

    There are currently five fires burning in the Los Angeles area. Here’s the current status for each:

    • Palisades Fire: The largest of the five fires, almost 20,000 acres are currently burning in the Pacific Palisades. Six percent of the fire is contained.
    • Eaton Fire: Nearly 14,000 acres are burning from the Eaton Fire in Altadena and Pasadena. Zero percent is contained.
    • Kenneth Fire: The newest of the five fires, around 960 acres are impacted in both Los Angeles and Ventura counties in West Hills, California. Zero percent is contained.
    • Hurst Fire: Fire officials are making some progress containing nearly 700 acres burning near Sylmar. Around 10% of the fire is contained.
    • Lidia Fire: Nearly 400 acres are affected near Soledad Canyon Road in the town of Acton, California. Fire officials have contained 60% of the fire.
  8. The warmest year on record: 2024published at 12:12

    As fires continue to burn in California, the European Union’s Earth observation program, the Copernicus Climate Change Service, has revealed another global warming milestone: 2024 was the warmest year since records began in 1850.

    It was also the first year that global temperatures reached more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level.

    The Paris Agreement aims at “holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels”.

    California was no exception. Last year, the US state experienced a remarkably warm summer. It also faced a lack of rain in recent months.

    The dry conditions, combined with the naturally-occurring Santa Ana winds, can produce the sort of fast-moving and dangerous fire outbreaks we are currently seeing in Los Angeles and its neighbouring Ventura county.

  9. Kenneth Fire progress stopped, evacuation orders downgradedpublished at 12:01

    “Forward progress of the Kenneth fire has been stopped, and the fire is currently holding at 960 acres with 0% containment,” the Ventura County fire department just announced on X.

    The department says that about 400 firefighters will remain on scene through the night, though there has been no reported damage to structures.

    Evacuation orders have been downgraded to warnings in Los Angeles County, while evacuation warnings in Ventura County have been lifted.

    A map shows the scale and location of the Kenneth fire on the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties
  10. Australia offers support – in the middle of its own fire seasonpublished at 11:50

    Tiffanie Turnbull
    BBC News, Sydney

    Despite being in the midst of its own bushfire season, Australia has offered to help authorities in Los Angeles.

    North American fire crews and aircraft were crucial when Australia faced its own unprecedented Black Summer fires, in 2019-20, and government minister Jenny McAllister has stressed that there is a “long history of cooperation between our countries on firefighting”.

    “We are yet to receive any response for assistance… We’d assess, of course, our own needs. But we’ll do everything we responsibly can to help our colleagues in the United States if they ask us,” she told Sky News Australia on Friday morning, local time.

    The breakout of fires in the middle of LA’s winter has caused anxiety here in Australia, which has a comparatively small aerial firefighting fleet and relies on leasing aircraft from others. That leaves the country increasingly exposed as the northern hemisphere fire seasons expands and cuts into ours.

    There are currently more than a dozen fires blazing in the Australian state of New South Wales alone, although none of them are currently at emergency status.

  11. What we know about the Kenneth Firepublished at 11:37

    The silhouette of a plane is dwarfed by huge plumes of brown smoke rising out of a valley against a yellow skyImage source,Getty Images

    The Kenneth Fire, which broke out on Thursday afternoon on the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, is the latest to have ignited in Southern California.

    Within hours the blaze has grown to nearly 1,000 acres and prompted mandatory evacuations.

    Authorities say they’re expecting the fire to spread quickly due to strong winds.

    A man was detained by citizens about 30 minutes after the fire started, and the LAPD has confirmed that he has been arrested for suspected arson.

  12. ‘One of the costliest wildfire disasters in modern U.S. history’published at 11:28

    In a matter of 24 hours, Accuweather has nearly tripled its preliminary estimate for total damage from the California wildfires. Its latest projection says losses could amount to as much as $150bn. That’s revised from an estimate of up to $57bn yesterday.

    “These fast-moving, wind-driven infernos have created one of the costliest wildfire disasters in modern U.S. history,” AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.

    The blazes have ripped through areas that are home to some of the most expensive property in the United States.

    Fire authorities say more than 5,300 structures have been destroyed by the Palisades blaze, while between 4,000 and 5,000 structures have potentially been damaged or destroyed by the Eaton Fire.

    The insurance industry is also bracing for a major hit, with analysts from firms such as Morningstar and JP Morgan forecasting insured losses of more than $8bn.

  13. LAPD believes Kenneth Fire was intentionally ignitedpublished at 11:19

    Twenty to 30 minutes after the Kenneth Fire started, a suspected arsonist was detained by citizens in the Woodland Hills area, LAPD senior lead officer Charles Dinsel has told NewsNation.

    When asked if “someone purposely set the Kenneth fire”, Dinsel confirmed that this is what the police currently believe.

    When asked if police knew why or how the suspect did that, Dinsel said: “That I don’t know.”

    The incident is being investigated as a crime, he added.

  14. Man detained on suspicion of lighting latest fire – Ventura Country Sheriffpublished at 11:10

    Breaking

    Captain Karl Patterson, Watch Commander with Ventura County Sheriff’s office tells the BBC that the LAPD has an arson suspect in custody regarding the Kenneth Fire, and that Ventura County is sending a detective now to question the suspect.

    He says the suspect is male and was detained “in the vicinity of the fire, which is why LAPD got there first”.

  15. Palisades fire now 6% contained – Governor Newsompublished at 10:51

    Containment of the Palisades fire is at 6% as of 18:00 local time (02:00 GMT), California governor Gavin Newsom announced in a post on X.

    “Thank you to our brave firefighters working around the clock to combat the blaze fueled by hurricane-force winds,” Newsom wrote.

    “Please continue to heed emergency orders from local officials and first responders.”

  16. Federal government to cover 100% of costs – Bidenpublished at 10:43

    President Biden has announced that the federal government will cover “100% of the cost of measures to protect lives and property in Southern California for six months”.

    “I’ve told the Governor and officials to spare no expense and do whatever they need to contain the fires and protect families,” he wrote on X.

    We earlier reported that Biden approved a slew of emergency measures, including a major disaster declaration allowing residents to request cash for necessities, increased federal funding for disaster relief and the deployment of firefighting helicopters and military planes to help fight the fires.

  17. ‘We do plan to rebuild, bigger and better’published at 10:36

    John Sudworth
    North America Correspondent, reporting from Los Angeles

    Charred ruins of a home destroyed by fireImage source,John Sudworth / BBC

    Down the block, 70-year-old Stephanie Hunt-Graves is looking over the remains of her small home with her family.

    She’s lived here for four decades.

    Like so many in this neighbourhood, when she got the warning to leave she thought it was a precaution. She never expected something like this.

    But she used to work in the insurance industry and, as a result, has always kept her premiums up to date.

    “We do plan to rebuild, bigger and better,” she says.

    “We’re praying for everybody,” her sister Jamille adds.

    “Altadena is the number one place to live. It’s friendly, family oriented. Just a wonderful community.”

  18. Couple look through rubble to see what remainspublished at 10:27

    John Sudworth
    North America Correspondent, reporting from Los Angeles

    A man and woman stand among ash and ruins from a burned houseImage source,John Sudworth / BBC

    We’ve been hearing more stories of residents returning to find their homes devastated.

    Pete and Angela Mitchell choke up as they get out of the car in front of the charred embers where their Altadena home used to be.

    Pete, an electrician with Disney, finds a few objects in the rubble – some of his woodworking tools, part of a new chandelier the couple had only recently installed, one of Angela’s sewing tins with some needles inside.

    Almost everything else is gone.

    The couple talk of how lucky they feel to have lived in the neighbourhood since 2013.

    Altadena is a place of special community spirit they tell me, and they’re sure it will be rebuilt.

  19. Death tally is believed to be five, not seven, sheriff sayspublished at 10:20

    Breaking

    We’ve just heard Los Angeles county Sheriff Robert Luna say the death tally from all of the fires currently stands at five people.

    He says there are two deaths from the Palisades fire, and three deaths from the Eaton fire in Altadena.

    Previously, it was reported that there had been five deaths in the Eaton fire. But the sheriff has just advised that number is actually three.

    “Even as I’m telling you that, it’s leaving my lips, I’m nervous about that number,” he says.

    “And the obvious question is do you think it’s going to grow? I’m praying it doesn’t, but based on the devastation… (it looks like) an atomic bomb dropped on these areas.

    “I don’t expect good news, and we’re not looking forward to those numbers.”

  20. Offers of support coming from across the country, says mayorpublished at 10:07

    Asked what it will take to stop the fires and whether the city has enough resources, Mayor Bass says support is coming from all over the country as well as Canada.

    “We have certainly seen Los Angeles firefighters deployed around the country [in the past],” she says. “So just as we have provided mutual aid, I am getting calls from [state governors] who have offered to send people.”

    “I think we have been rich in support. I don’t know if we ever have enough resources.”

    Traffic backs up as residents evacuate ahead of the Kenneth Fire on 09 January in Calabasas, CaliforniaImage source,Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Traffic backs up as residents evacuate ahead of the Kenneth Fire in Calabasas, California

 

Sources from: BBC.COM 

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