LA fires: Race to contain outbreaks as death toll rises
Published January 12, 2025last updated January 13, 2025
What you need to know
Concerns are rising that the Getty Center art museum and its priceless collection is at risk of being in the path of the Palisades Fire, the largest of 4 fires still burning.
The Palisades Fire is threatening to jump over Interstate 405 into a heavily populated area.
Two of the largest fires are only 15% or less contained, with concerns that fierce winds could return in the coming days.
Authorities have said the latest death toll is 24.
This is a roundup of events involving the Los Angeles wildfires on Sunday, January 12
Death toll rises to 24
The Los Angeles coroner's daily update has seen the number of deaths attributed to the ongoing wildfires rise to 24.
Of the fatalities, 16 were recorded to be in the Eaton Fire zone, while eight were from the Palisades Fire zone.
Teams with cadaver dogs are continuing to carry out grid searches with the expectation that the death toll will still rise.
Better weather conditions and efforts from firefighters have restricted the spread of the Palisades Fire, which was moving towards Brentwood and the densely populated San Fernando Valley.
However, conditions are due to worsen again, with "extreme fire behavior and life threatening conditions" over the coming days.
With the Palisades Fire now compassing 23,713 acres, it remains just 13% contained.
Winds up to 70 miles (110 kilometers) per hour mean a "particularly dangerous situation" is expected to be declared from early Tuesday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld.
At least 16 people reported missing
At least 16 people are missing as wildfires continue to blaze around Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said on Sunday that 12 people were missing in the Eaton fire zone and four were missing from the Palisades blaze. None of them were children.
The number of missing people is likely to increase as "dozens" more reports might have come in on Sunday, Luna added.
Investigators were also investigating whether any of the people reported missing had been killed by the wildfires.
Teams from the Sheriff's Department continued sift through the rubble on Sunday using dogs to search for human remains.
Fires blazing on five fronts around Los Angeles
Firefighters battled five separate blazes on Sunday that continued to encroach on Los Angeles.
In an interview with NBC's Meet the Press, California Governor Gavin Newsom said the wildfires could amount to the worst natural disaster in US history.
"I think it will be in terms of just the costs associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope," he said.
Newsom added that he was launching a "Marshall Plan" to rebuild the city.
"We already have a team looking at reimagining LA 2.0," he said.
Gusts continue to push Palisades blaze east
Firefighters attempted to contain the Palisades blaze on Sunday as winds pushed the fire eastward, threatening previously untouched neighborhoods in the San Fernando Valley.
"LA County had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak," Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said.
Cal Fire official Todd Hopkins said that the fire had spread into Mandeville Canyon and threatened to jump into Brentwood, an upscale neighborhood that is home to many celebrities. The famous Getty Center and UCLA campus are nearby.
Forecasters have warned that high winds would likely feed the blaze for days to come.
"Critical fire-weather conditions will unfortunately ramp up again today for southern California and last through at least early next week," the National Weather Service said.
"This may lead to the spread of ongoing fires as well as the development of new ones."
Death toll in Los Angeles fires rises to 16
The death toll from the wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area, which have been burning since Tuesday, has risen to 16, according to the latest information released by the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner on Saturday.
The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner published a list of fatalities without giving details of any identities.
Five of the dead were found in the Palisades Fire area, and 11 in the Eaton Fire zone, the coroner's
office said in a statement.
Officials said the number of fatalities could rise as cadaver dog teams continue to search neighborhoods destroyed by the fires.
Toxic smoke a threat to health
Residents in Los Angeles who have not been evacuated have been warned to stay indoors due to the smoke from the wildfires.
The blazes are pushing toxic clouds into the air and are blanketing the region with fumes, health authorities have said.
"We are all experiencing this wildfire smoke, which is a mix of small particles, gasses and water vapors," Anish Mahajan of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health told a press conference.
"It's those small particles that get into our noses and throats and cause those sore throats and headaches. Everyone in the areas where there's visible smoke or the smell of smoke, and even where you don't see that, we know that the air quality is poor, so you should limit outdoor exposure as much as possible."
While healthy individuals have been advised to stay inside and use some form of an air filtration system, the young, the old and the sick have been told to especially careful.
An N95 mask has been suggested for those working outside as it filters out small particles to stop them entering the body.
"Those who are at higher risk for bad health effects... children, the elderly, those with respiratory and heart conditions, and people with immunocompromised states, they may have worse symptoms like shortness of breath, wheezing, cough and chest pain," Mahajan explained.
That means plastics, chemicals, fuel and building materials that have burned and turned into smoke are hanging in the air.
On Friday, Los Angeles County declared a public health emergency because of the smoke, and banned the use of machines like leaf blowers that can whip up dangerous ashes.
Sporting events canceled or moved
Sporting events have either been cancelled or moved, most notably an American Football playoff wildcard match between the LA Rams and Minnesota Vikings on Monday evening.
The National Football League (NFL) moved the game to Arizona.
During the course of the week ice hockey and basketball games in the NHL and NBA were also forced to be cancelled while a training camp for the United States Women's National Team (USWNT) was moved from LA to Miami.
Fires could burn until Wednesday
There is concern in Los Angeles that worsening wind conditions could mean the wildfires could burn until at least Wednesday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned on Saturday that worsening Santa Ana winds that have been predicted would pick up Saturday night into Sunday morning in both Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Winds are forecast late Monday through Tuesday morning, with sustained speeds of up to 30 mph and wind gusts up to 70 mph.
"We're in a continued period of critical fire weather through Wednesday," said NWS meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld.
Conditions were only expected to moderate by Thursday, which would be 10 days after most of the fires began.
Palisades Fire spreads, threatening densely populated areas
The Palisades Fire, the largest currently burning on the western edge of Los Angeles, headed in a new direction, spreading east to Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities, and is threatening to jump over Interstate 405 into a heavily populated area.
The Getty Center art museum and its priceless collections are under threat as fresh evacuations were ordered that covered much of the Brentwood neighborhood, as well as the foothills of the San Fernando Valley.
Firefighters on the ground have been using hoses and helicopters dumped water from the air in an attempt to beat back the flames as thick smoke blanketed the hillside.
CalFire Operations Chief Christian Litz said at a briefing that the main focus on Saturday would be the Palisades Fire.
"We need to be aggressive out there," Litz said.
Meanwhile LA County spokesman Jesus Ruiz said earlier Saturday the new flare-up was a "significant development" and that the fire was rapidly approaching a "a heavily populated area"
LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the area "had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak, and even more Angelenos evacuated due to the northeast expansion of the Palisades Fire."
Light breezes Saturday were fanning the flames, but with the National Weather Service (NWS) warning that strong Santa Ana winds could soon return, firefighters were facing a challenge to contain the more of the fire quickly.
The Santa Ana winds and persistent dry conditions have been blamed for turning the wildfires into infernos, which have leveled entire neighborhoods.
Authorities on Friday raised the death toll to at least 11 people with over 12,000 structures destroyed.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has called for a probe into water supply problems that has hampered firefighting efforts.
How many fires are burning and where?
According to CalFire, four fires are actively burning in the greater Los Angeles area.
The Palisades Fire, the largest of the four, has already consumed more than 22,000 acres (8,900 hectares). It is spreading towards an area home to the Getty Center, which houses priceless works of art. Authorities said the fire has destroyed more than 5,000 structures.
On Saturday, aircraft dropped water and fire retardant on steep hills to stem the eastward spread. CalFire estimates the Palisades Fire is currently 11% contained.
Over the past 24 hours, officials reported the Palisades Fire has spread over an additional 1,000 acres and consumed more homes. Five people have been killed.
The Eaton Fire, burning in the hills near Pasadena east of Los Angeles, has consumed more than 14,000 acres. Six people have been killed, The fire is currently 15% contained.
The Hurst Fire near San Fernando, is 76% contained, and has burned through nearly 800 acres.
The Kenneth Fire, burning in the Santa Monica Mountains, has spread over 1,000 acres and is 80% contained.
Evacuation orders in the Los Angeles area now cover 153,000 residents, with 57,000 structures at risk.
Another 166,000 residents have been warned that they may have to evacuate, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
km/wmr (AFP, AP, Reuters, dpa)