LOS ANGELES — A pair of massive wildfires menacing Los Angeles from the east and west were still burning unchecked early on Thursday, two days after they ignited, but firefighting crews made progress overnight in controlling a smaller blaze burning in the hills overlooking Hollywood Boulevard.
The Palisades fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on the city’s western flank and the Eaton fire in the east near Pasadena are already the most destructive in Los Angeles history, burning nearly 28,000 acres—an area exceeding the size of Disney World. At least five people have been killed and thousands of structures have been incinerated.
The twin blazes—part of a pincer around the city so expansive that it was visible from space—remained entirely uncontained as of 6:30 a.m. (1430 GMT), according to Cal Fire.
“This firestorm is the big one,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told a press conference after rushing back to the city, cutting short an official trip to Ghana.
Firefighters, assisted by helicopters dropping retardants and water, managed to make gains in battling the Sunset Fire, which had forced mandatory evacuations in Hollywood and Hollywood Hills—including famous show-business locations such as the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Walk of Fame—late on Wednesday.
The fire was in retreat, shrinking to about 43 acres from 60, authorities reported. No buildings were lost in the area, a city fire department spokeswoman said, and most of the evacuation order was lifted.
Overall, more than 100,000 people have been ordered to flee their homes as hurricane-force winds spread flames across parched ground that has seen no rain for months. At least five separate wildfires were burning in Los Angeles County on Thursday morning.
The homes of movie stars and celebrities were among those consumed by flames, which tore through some of the world’s most lavish real estate.
The National Weather Service extended Red Flag warnings—issued when the risk for fire is high due to low humidity, high winds and warm temperatures—for Los Angeles and Ventura counties through 6 p.m. Friday.
Humidity will remain at 10% to 20% through Friday, falling to bone-dry single digits at times. Winds are expected to be 40 miles (64 km) per hour with gusts up to 50 mph through the day and into Friday, the agency said, less than the 100-mile-per-hour gusts that fed the blazes earlier this week but still strong.
Water shortages caused some hydrants to run dry in upscale Pacific Palisades, wedged between Malibu and Santa Monica, officials said.
“We pushed the system to the extreme. We’re fighting a wildfire with urban water systems,” Janisse Quinones, chief executive of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, told reporters on Wednesday.
Firefighters were doing what they could to save lives and then focused on what they could do to save structures, whether there was water in the hydrant or water had to be shuttled in, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Captain Adam VanGerpen told CBS on Thursday morning.
The Palisades fire consumed 17,234 acres (6974 hectares) and hundreds of structures in the hills, racing down Topanga Canyon until reaching the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday.
“We are heartbroken of course, but with the love of children and friends we will get through this,” said film star Billy Crystal and his wife Janice, announcing the Pacific Palisades home where they had lived since 1979 had been destroyed.
Media personality Paris Hilton said she was “heartbroken beyond words” after watching her beachfront house in Malibu “burn to the ground on live TV.”
US President Joe Biden was briefed Thursday morning on the impact of the ongoing wildfires and will meet with top administration officials in the afternoon to discuss the federal response, the White House told reporters.
IN PHOTOS: Tens of thousands flee as wildfires tear through Los Angeles area
‘Something out of a movie’
Some residents ventured back to areas the fire had already swept through, where brick chimneys were left looming over charred waste and burnt-out vehicles. The remnants of a tattered and scorched American flag flapped from a pole.
“I had just come from my family home where my mother lives that was burned to a crisp … And then I came up to my home and—same thing. It’s completely dust,” said Oliver Allnatt, 36, wearing ski goggles and a filtered face mask as he took pictures of the ruins. “Basically just a chimney stack and a pile of ash. I mean, it’s something out of a movie.”
Thousands of Angelenos fleeing the flames sought refuge in temporary shelters. Foad Farid found refuge in the gym of the Westwood Recreation Center with nothing but his car and his phone. Neighbors dropped off blankets, clothing, water, pizza and pet food.
Jeff Harris arrived towing his Feisty Fish Poke food truck and began serving meals. “I’m just here to help,” he said.
Kevin Williams, at an evacuation center in Pasadena, said he knew it was time to run when gas canisters at his neighbors’ homes began exploding under the heat.
“The wind whipped up, the flames were up about 30 or 40 feet high, and you hear ‘pop, pop, pop.’ It sounded like a war zone.”
The wind whips embers from a burning house, as powerful winds fueling devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area force people to evacuate, at the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Los Angeles County, California, January 8, 2025. REUTERS/ Fred Greaves
Smoldering ruins
Aerial video by KTLA television showed block after block of smoldering homes in Pacific Palisades, the smoky grid occasionally punctuated by the orange blaze of another home still on fire.
To the east, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, the Eaton Fire claimed another 10,600 acres (4,289 hectares), 1,000 structures, and killed at least five people, officials said.
“We’re facing a historic natural disaster. And I think that can’t be stated strong enough,” Kevin McGowan, director of emergency management for Los Angeles County, told a press conference.
The scale and spread of the blazes stretched exhausted firefighting crews beyond their capacity.
Firefighters from six other US states were being rushed to California, while an additional 250 engine companies with 1,000 personnel were being moved from Northern California to Southern California, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told a press conference.
The fires struck at an especially vulnerable time for Southern California, which has not seen significant rainfall for months. Then came the powerful Santa Ana winds, bringing dry desert air from the east toward the coastal mountains, fanning wildfires while blowing over the hilltops and down through the canyons. — Reuters
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