Wildfires latest: Tens of thousands ordered to evacuate as fires tear through Los Angeles area

Fierce wildfires are raging in the Los Angeles area, fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds, sending residents fleeing from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke.

Thousands of firefighters were battling at least three separate blazes on Wednesday, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena. One of the fires was the most destructive in the modern history of the city of LA.

Tens of thousands of people have been notified by authorities to evacuate their homes because of the multiple fires burning in the Los Angeles region. Officials say at least five people have died in the wildfires.

Here's the latest:

Billy Crystal and wife lose longtime home in Palisades fire

Billy Crystal and his wife Janice have lost their home of 45 years in the Palisades fire.

The couple released a statement confirming their home was among the hundreds burned in fires in and around Los Angeles.

“Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this,” the Crystals wrote in the statement.

Mandy Moore, Cary Elwes and Paris Hilton are among the stars who have lost homes in the blazes. Many others are among the tens of thousands who have evacuated due to the flames, with some still awaiting word on the fate of their homes.

Evacuations ordered due to new fire in the Hollywood Hills

Tens of thousands of people have been notified by authorities to evacuate their homes because of the multiple fires burning in the Los Angeles region.

The most recent mandatory evacuations orders came Wednesday evening related to the Sunset fire, a new fire in the Hollywood Hills. That order was in place for Laurel Canyon Boulevard on the west to Mulholland Drive, with others in nearby areas warned to be ready to leave.

Mandatory evacuation orders also remained in place near the Palisades fire west of Los Angeles, including parts of Santa Monica. People have also been told to leave their homes in the San Fernando Valley near the Hurst fire. Others were told to leave their residences in parts Altadena because of the Eaton fire.

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This entry has been updated to correct that evacuation orders in Santa Monica are due to the Palisades fire, not the Eaton fire.

Uber offers free rides to evacuation centers

Uber is offering free rides up to $40 to active evacuation centers using the code WILDFIRE25, according to LA County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath.

Biden has formally signed off on a federal disaster declaration

The White House says the declaration allows for federal funding to be made available to impacted individuals in Los Angeles County for temporary housing and home repairs as well as low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs aimed at helping individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, or by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or by using the FEMA App.

Multiple states sending firefighters

Firefighters from multiple states have arrived or are on the way to help with the fires, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a media briefing Wednesday afternoon.

He said 60 teams were coming from Oregon, 45 from Washington state, 15 from Utah, 10 from New Mexico and “numerous” teams were coming from Arizona.

Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton among stars who’ve lost homes

Wildfires that are burning in and around Los Angeles have burned several celebrities’ homes and forced stars, including Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods, to evacuate.

Moore, Cary Elwes and Paris Hilton are among the stars who said Wednesday they had lost homes in the fires.

“Honestly, I’m in shock and feeling numb for all so many have lost, including my family,” Moore said on Instagram, posting a video of devastated streets in the Altadena neighborhood near Pasadena. “Our community is broken but we will be here to rebuild together. Sending love to all affected and on the front lines trying to get this under control,” the actor-singer wrote.

Hilton said a Malibu home where her young son took his first steps was among those lost to the flames.

“The devastation is unimaginable. To know so many are waking up today without the place they called home is truly heartbreaking,” she wrote.

▶ Read more about celebrities whose homes have been affected in LA fires

Another fire has broken out in the Hollywood Hills, officials say

As officials were providing a media update about the fires around 5:50 p.m., Los Angeles city Fire Chief Kristin Crowley announced that a new blaze had broken out in the Hollywood Hills near Runyon Canyon.

She said all available resources were responding and excused herself to attend to that blaze.

All Los Angeles Unified School District schools will be closed Thursday

All schools will be closed Thursday in the Los Angeles Unified School District because of the fires, Alberto Carvalho, district superintendent, said during a media briefing.

Two elementary schools in the district have been destroyed by fire, he said.

In a statement on its website, the district said, “The confluence of factors – wind, fire, and smoke – have created dangerous, complex situations that present unsafe conditions for our school communities.”

3 people have been arrested for looting, officials say

Three people have been arrested for looting in fire-affected areas, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a media briefing Wednesday afternoon.

“That is 100 percent unacceptable,” he said.

Los Angeles County has lost several facilities to fire, officials say

Los Angeles County has lost several facilities to fire, including the Eaton Canyon nature center and a senior center, LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at a media briefing Wednesday afternoon.

She also said a sheriff’s station had been evacuated because of fire. It wasn’t clear if it had been damaged.

100,000 people have received notices to evacuate due to Eaton fire, officials say

Authorities gave an update Wednesday afternoon on the Eaton fire near Pasadena that exploded in high winds Tuesday, causing at least five deaths.

Here’s a few facts and figures they shared:

Weather conditions conducive to fires to continue through Friday, forecasters say

The National Weather Service says gusty winds and very dry conditions would continue to fuel fires in the Los Angeles area.

Forecasters predicted wind gusts of 35-55 mph (56-88 kph), which could rise higher in the mountains and foothills. Meteorologists said Los Angeles and Ventura counties would have weather conducive to fire through Friday, meaning low relative humidity, strong winds, unstable air and drought.

But winds have dissipated enough for aircraft to assist in fighting the fires, Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustine said.

“Tonight we have very mild wind conditions where we can get aircraft and a ton of additional resources getting their hands around this fire,” Augustin said. “That’s what gives me confidence that we’re going to get a handle on this fire.”

The fire chief warned that it was still an active fire with risk of spread over the next day.

Eaton fire has damaged between 200 and 500 structures, officials say

The Eaton fire burning north of Pasadena, California, has damaged or destroyed between 200 and 500 structures, Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

The fire has burned over 16.5 square miles (42.7 square kilometers) and is so far uncontained, Augustin said. He said wind gusts reached over 70 mph (113 kph) Tuesday night.

Augustin said the water system was stretched and was further hampered by power outages.

“But I’ll be clear,” he added, no matter how much water was available, “we were not stopping that fire last night. Those erratic wind gusts were throwing embers for multiple miles ahead of the fire.”

The voting window for Academy Awards nominations has been extended

The organization that puts on the Oscars has extended the voting window for Academy Awards nominations and delayed next week’s planned nominations announcement.

Bill Kramer, the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, shared the postponements to the film academy members in a letter obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Nominations and the voting window have both been extended by two days. Oscar nominations will now be revealed on Sunday, Jan. 19. Voting closes on Jan. 14.

“We want to offer our deepest condolences to those who have been impacted by the devastating fires across Southern California,” Kramer wrote. “So many of our members and industry colleagues live and work in the Los Angeles area, and we are thinking of you.”

Evacuation orders issued for some densely populated areas of Santa Monica

Evacuation orders and warnings have been issued for some densely populated Santa Monica neighborhoods just north of the city’s famous pier.

City officials say people in the affected zones should leave now, including those in evacuation warning areas who may need additional time to get out. Police were being deployed to help with evacuations, the city wrote on its website.

The city says its Big Blue Bus is offering free transport every hour to evacuation centers.

5 people have died in wildfires in the Los Angeles area, officials say

The death toll from the wildfires burning in the Los Angeles area has risen to five, according to Nicole Nishida, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Officials had reported earlier that two people had died. Officials say they have no other details on the deaths.

Palisades fire destroys Will Rogers’ historic home

The Palisades fire has destroyed the historic ranch house that belonged to Hollywood legend Will Rogers.

California State Parks said in a statement that Rogers’ historic ranch house was among multiple structures destroyed by the devastating fire at both Will Rogers State Historic Park and Topanga State Park. The historic Topanga Ranch Motel, built by William Randolph Hearst in 1929, also burned down.

Rogers’ ranch, built on land he bought in the 1920s, occupied some 359 acres in what is now Pacific Palisades. It included a 31-room ranch house, a stable, golf course and riding trails. His wife donated it to California State Parks in 1944.

Pentagon to send helicopters to help California fight fires

The Pentagon will send 10 Navy helicopters to help fight fires burning in California, said Sabrina Singh, spokesperson for the department.

The order has yet to be finalized, but officials expect it will be an active duty unit with Navy Sea Hawks based in Southern California that can be equipped to carry water.

Singh also said Wednesday that the military is prepared to make four additional modular air firefighting systems available to the California National Guard. Those would likely come from other National Guard units in the country.

Iconic Reel Inn fish market off Pacific Coast Highway burns

The Reel Inn, an iconic Malibu seafood shack and fish market known for its Pacific Coast Highway location and kitschy vibe, has burned.

Owner Teddy Leonard says she and her husband Andy watched it burn on TV Tuesday evening from their home a few miles away. A short time later they began packing up their belongings, evacuating and heading to a short-term rental home in Santa Monica.

On Wednesday, Leonard was hopeful her home may have survived the flames. She said restaurant employees have been texting, hoping to rebuild, but it may be a challenge.

“Part of the charm for our little fish shack was my husband’s, you know, collecting of old surfboards, going back to the 1930s that were hanging in the rafters,” Leonard said.

The Reel Inn opened in 1986, but several other restaurants have operated in the same location since the 1940s.

“My husband and I, we keep looking at each other and going, ‘We have each other. We have these beautiful grandchildren and children and life,’” Leonard said.

Over 1.5 million people in Southern California are without power

More than 1.5 million customers were without power in Southern California on Wednesday afternoon as wildfires tore through several Los Angeles county neighborhoods, according to tracking site PowerOutage.us.

Well over half of the roughly 334,000 customers in Ventura County were without power, along with more than 957,000 customers in Los Angeles County.

Power companies often shut off power as a public safety measure when extreme winds, like the ones pummeling Southern California, are forecasted.

Already crowded hospitals now contend with medical emergencies from smoke inhalation

Wildfire smoke is known to cause heart attacks and worsening asthma. Now, patients suffering from those conditions are showing up in emergency rooms at a time when hospitals are already full because of flu season, said Dr. Puneet Gupta, the assistant medical director for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

“We have a number of hospitals threatened, and if they have to be evacuated, it could become a crisis,” said Gupta, also a spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Many at Pasadena evacuation center were evacuated from assisted living facilities

Several hundred evacuees were at the Pasadena evacuation center by Wednesday afternoon. Many were elderly, sitting wheelchair to wheelchair, and from assisted living facilities.

Donald Fisher, 78, said he was first to be wheeled onto the bus at the Camellia Gardens Care Center to be taken to the shelter around 8 a.m.

“I can stand up but I can’t walk,” Fisher said. “I think that the city of Pasadena did a marvelous job.”

The earlier arrivals were able to snag green cots to sleep on, while others wondered where they would sleep at night when the cots ran out.

The shelter was providing hot meals, as well as food for dogs and cats brought there.

LA Metro suspends fares due to complications from power outages

The LA Metro suspended fares on Wednesday after intermittent power outages made it difficult for riders to purchase and load fare cards.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn wrote on the social media site X that Metro rides would be free system-wide for the remainder of the day.

Wind and wildfire damage also forced the closure of some Los Angeles bus lines and created detours for others.

Biden being in LA didn’t affect wildfire fighting efforts, the White House says

White House national security spokesperson John Kirbyy, who held a virtual briefing for reporters, said it was “it was important for the president while he was there to make it clear to the people of Southern California how diligently our government and our administration is going to support their firefighting efforts, but also their recovery efforts.”

President Joe Biden was in the Los Angeles area for an event Tuesday that the White House later postponed because of the fires. He is currently flying back to Washington.

Evacuation centers open for people and animals

Three evacuation centers for people and 12 for animals have been established so far for people fleeing the wildfires burning in the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other Los Angeles neighborhoods.

But with at least 70,000 people in evacuation zones, some shelter resources are scarce.

When EJ Soto and her family arrived at the Pasadena Convention Center after fleeing their Altadena home early Wednesday morning, the facility had already run out of cots.

“I had one hour of sleep, so it’s been a really, bad, really bad day,” Soto said.

Another evacuation shelter, El Camino Real Charter High School, wrote on its Facebook page that it was accepting donations of food and water for evacuees.

The Pasadena Humane Society wrote on Facebook that it had taken in more than 100 animals overnight and was taking in more, but kennel space was filling up. The organization was directing some evacuees to a partner shelter and is looking for volunteers to foster large dogs for a week or more.

Both the Los Angeles County Emergency Management Office and the American Red Cross are posting updated lists of evacuation sites on their websites.

Biden and Mayor Bass discuss the wildfires

The White House says the president and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass discussed the latest updates by phone as Biden flew back to Washington, D.C., aboard Air Force One.

Preliminary damage and losses are in the billions, AccuWeather says

AccuWeather estimates $52 billion to $57 billion in preliminary damage and economic loss has occurred from the raging Los Angeles area wildfires.

The company said the estimate comes from an advisory that will soon be released.

Oregon is sending strike teams to help battle the fires in California

“We both understand that fire does not recognize map lines, and we are ready to help each other whenever there is a need,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said in a statement.

“During our historic 2024 wildfire season, California sent us help and in their time of need, we are working as fast as possible to lend them support during this emergency,” she added.

The 12 teams include 240 firefighters and 60 engines.

Their Wednesday mobilization comes after the Oregon agency received a request for assistance late Tuesday evening.

NHL postpones the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames

The Kings and Flames were set to play at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers are scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena on Thursday night.

“Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our fans, staff, and players safe.”

The NFL is also paying close attention to the potential impact of the fires on the two playoff-bound Los Angeles teams’ preparations and the Rams’ wild-card postseason game against the Minnesota Vikings scheduled for Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

The Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers both train in areas not threatened by fires, but both teams are monitoring the air quality and its potential impact on their preparations.

Critics Choice Awards postponed until Jan. 26

The awards were set to take place on Sunday at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, only miles from the Pacific Palisades neighborhood where fire was raging.

“This unfolding tragedy has already had a profound impact on our community. All our thoughts and prayers are with those battling the devastating fires and with all who have been affected,” said Critics Choice Association CEO Joey Berlin.

The awards will be broadcast live on E! and hosted by Chelsea Handler.

Biden heads back to Washington

After his briefing in Santa Monica, President Joe Biden flew on Marine One to Los Angeles International Airport for his flight back to Washington.

Reporters who accompanied Biden could see smoke from the windows of their Osprey aircraft.

The ride was bumpy as winds continued to be a challenge in the area.

Pacific Palisades fire is more destructive than 2008’s Sayre Fire

With an estimated 1,000 structures destroyed and the flames still growing on Wednesday, it is far more destructive than the second-most destructive, according to statistics kept by the Wildfire Alliance, a partnership between the city’s fire department and MySafe:LA.

Structures refers to homes and other buildings.

The last most destructive fire was the Sayre Fire in November 2008 that destroyed 604 structures in Sylmar, the northernmost suburb of the city.

Before that, a 1961 Bel Air fire stood for nearly half a century as the most destructive fire in the city’s history. It burned nearly 500 houses in the hillside enclave, including the homes of actor Burt Lancaster, Zsa Zsa Gabor and other celebrities.

Los Angeles firefighting aircraft resume flights

Aircraft had been grounded due to extreme winds, dramatically hampering the firefight.

Los Angeles City Fire Capt. Jacob Raabe said aircraft resumed dropping fire retardant and water on the Palisades Fire at around 7 a.m. Wednesday.

Biden attends briefing on California wildfires

“It’s going to take time,” President Joe Biden warned when talking about the recovery from the wildfires during a briefing at a Santa Monica fire station on Wednesday.

Newsom, who stood next to Biden, thanked him for his support.

“It’s impossible for me to express the level of appreciation,” he said.

Kristin Crowley, the Los Angeles fire chief, said her team knew there was a “significant threat” from the Pacific Palisades fire as soon as it started because of the “high, high, high winds.”

Crowley said she’d never seen anything like the wind conditions in her 25 years of experience.

The Eaton Fire could become historic

The Eaton Fire stands to become the largest wildfire to burn in California during the month of January in the past 41 years.

The fire, which ignited on Tuesday north of Pasadena, has now burned more than 16.5 square miles (42.9 square kilometers), according to state fire personnel.

Federal data shows just six wildfires have burned more than 2 square miles (5.18 square kilometers) in the month of January in California since 1984.

The largest was the Viejas Fire, which burned 17.1 square miles (44.3 square kilometers) in 2001 in the mountains east of San Diego.

More recently, the Colby Fire burned just over 3 square miles (8.2 square kilometers) near Glendora, California, in 2014.

Since 2014, wildfires of any size in January have been uncommon, with the exception of 2021 and this year, according to Cal Fire data.

The Altadena Golf Course has been destroyed

Johnny Eusebio, general manager of the Altadena Golf Course, said the course was lost to the fire.

A video posted on social media shows smoldering buildings surrounded by debris and flames and a tattered flag flapping in the wind.

Premiere of Pamela Anderson’s ‘The Last Showgirl’ canceled due to the wildfires

The film was originally scheduled to premiere at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, but the event was called off as the severe conditions continued impacting parts of the city.

Anderson, best known for her role in “Baywatch,” stars in “The Last Showgirl,” where she portrays an aging Las Vegas showgirl. She earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the film, which is still set to debut in theaters nationwide on Friday.

Excess water demand caused fire hydrants to run dry

For roughly 15 hours, water systems faced four times more than normal demand, lowering water pressure and causing some fire hydrants to run dry, according to officials from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Demand was so high that it wasn’t enough to fill the three, one-million-gallon (3,785,411-liter) tanks that help maintain pressure for the hydrants in the hills of Palisades.

One tank ran out late Tuesday afternoon, another in the evening, and the third early Wednesday morning.

LADWP is sending in about 20 mobile water tankers to the area to help with suppression, in addition to refilling water trucks at some pressurized hydrants in the area, according to chief engineer Janisse Quiñones.

It takes about 30 minutes to refill about 4,000 gallons (15,142 liters) of water.