HOLLYWOOD — At least five people have been killed in wildfires rampaging around Los Angeles, officials said Wednesday (Thursday in Manila), with firefighters overwhelmed by the speed and ferocity of multiple blazes — including in Hollywood.
Up to 1,500 buildings have burned in fires wreaking havoc around America’s second biggest city, forcing over 100,000 people from their homes.
Hurricane-force winds whipped up fireballs that leapt from house to house, incinerating swathes of California’s most desirable real estate.
LA INFERNO An apartment building burns during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles county, California, on Jan. 8, 2025. At least five people have died in wildfires raging around Los Angeles, with more deaths feared, law enforcement said as terrifying blazes leveled whole streets, torching cars and houses in minutes. AFP PHOTO
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said his crews were struggling with the scale and speed of the unfolding disasters.
“We’re doing the very best we can. But no, we don’t have enough fire personnel in LA County between all the departments to handle this,” he said.
On Wednesday evening, a new fire erupted in the Hollywood Hills, just a few hundred meters from the storied Hollywood Boulevard — home to sights such as the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the Walk of Fame and the El Capitan Theatre.
An evacuation order was put in place for a number of streets in the historic district, as firefighters took to the skies to dump water on the blaze.
“There is no time to delay,” Margaret Stewart of LAFD said.
“We do not want people stuck. We want everyone safely exiting; get in your vehicles, grab your friend who doesn’t have a car, and head south.”
The sudden eruption created gridlock on Hollywood’s streets, hampering efforts by people who live in the area — a mixture of ritzy homes and rent-controlled apartments — to leave.
Sharon Ibarra, 29, said she had rushed into Hollywood when she heard of the blaze to see if she could help her boss with her two babies.
“I am super nervous, scared because of everything that has happened in the other places,” she said.
“Thank God there is not much wind like yesterday.”
That wind — with gusts up to 160 kilometers an hour — spread the fire around the ritzy Pacific Palisades neighborhood with lightning speed.
At least 16,000 acres (6,500 hectares) had burned there, with 1,000 homes and businesses razed.
A separate 10,600-acre (4,300-hectare) fire was burning around Altadena, north of the city, where flames tore through suburban streets.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said five people were known to have perished, with more deaths feared.
William Gonzales got out alive, but his Altadena home was gone.
“We have lost practically everything; the flames have consumed all our dreams,” he said.
Hydrants run dry
Pasadena fire chief Chad Augustin said up to 500 buildings had been lost to the flames there.
He hailed the bravery of first responders. “Our death count today would be significantly higher without their heroic actions,” Augustin told reporters.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Chief Executive Janisse Quinones pleaded with people to save water after hydrants in Pacific Palisades ran dry.
President-elect Donald Trump took to his social media platform on Wednesday to claim — wrongly — that the lack of water was the result of the state’s environmental policies.
In fact, much of Los Angeles’ water comes from the Colorado River, and farming — rather than residential use or firefighting — takes the lion’s share of all water that flows into Southern California.
US President Joe Biden cancelled a trip to Italy this week to focus on the federal response to the fires.
“We’re doing anything and everything, and as long as it takes to contain these fires,” Biden earlier told reporters.
Dryness
Having razed perhaps hundreds of multimillion-dollar homes, the Pacific Palisades fire looked set to be one of the costliest blazes on record.
AccuWeather said it estimated up to $57 billion of losses.
More than 300,000 households were without electricity in the region, according to Poweroutage.us. Utilities in California frequently de-energize lines during high winds to minimize the risk of new fires.
Wildfires are part of life in the US West and play a vital role in nature.
But scientists say human-caused climate change is altering weather patterns.
Southern California had two decades of drought that were followed by two exceptionally wet years, which sparked furious vegetative growth — leaving the region packed with fuel and primed to burn — and then has had no significant rain for eight months.
The Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Los Angeles advised Filipinos residing near the areas affected by wildfires to be on alert and adhere to evacuation orders.
The PCG, in an advisory, urged concerned Filipino communities to “check local advisories, undertake necessary preparations, and adhere to evacuation orders.”
The consulate said it is coordinating with local authorities and closely monitoring the situation of Filipinos in the affected areas.
It also advised the Filipino community in Los Angeles County, Riverside County, and Ventura County to study the maps of affected areas and locations of evacuation centers.
The PCG said that as of midday of Jan. 8, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has reported that the wildfires “continue to be fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds, with the Palisades fire (near Malibu) and Eaton fire (centered near Pasadena), expanding to more than 10,000 acres each.”
In an earlier advisory, the PCG informed all Filipinos that “red flag warnings” were hoisted in Southern California, including Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, San Diego and Orange Counties, and would be in effect until Jan. 9, Thursday (Friday in Manila).
“A red flag warning signifies an increased risk of fire danger due to the combination of warm temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds,” the consulate said.
“The public is thus advised to use extreme caution with any potential ignition to prevent dangerous wildfires,” the PCG said.
The consulate added, “The Filipinos in SoCal (Southern California) are strongly encouraged to take safety precautions, heed local warnings and monitor developments.”
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