Homes and businesses sit damaged from the Palisades Fire burning near Los Angles, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times
As four massive fires engulf Los Angeles, critics are blaming the government for putting lives, homes, and businesses at risk.
Amid it all, Sam Digiovanna, chief at the Verdugo Fire Academy in Glendale, Calif., told The Epoch Times that more than 1,000 firefighters are doing their best “to stop the forward progress of this fire” and “get a containment line around it.”
“Our first priority is the protection of life, which means a lot of times we’re evacuating people and making sure people get out safely,” said Digiovanna, a former fire chief in Monrovia, part of Los Angeles County.
Los Angeles County firefighters spray water on a burning home as the Eaton Fire moved through the area in Altadena, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2025. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Biden Approves Major Disaster Declaration for California
A firefighter stands on top of a fire truck to battle the Palisades Fire while it burns homes on the Pacific Coast Highway amid a powerful windstorm in Los Angeles on Jan. 8, 2025. Apu Gomes/Getty Images
400,000 Without Power in California as Wildfires Spread
Sparks fly from the wheel of a burned school bus as the Eaton Fire moves through the area in Altadena, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2025. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
James Woods, Spencer Pratt, Among Celebrities Affected by Pacific Palisades Fire
A firefighter fights the flames from the Palisades Fire burning the Theatre Palisades during a powerful windstorm in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2025. Apu Gomes/Getty Images
Actor James Woods and reality star Spencer Pratt are among thousands of Southern California residents affected by a fast-moving brush fire that has engulfed the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
On Tuesday afternoon, Woods, 77, released a statement on social media platform X saying he was “safe and out” of the area. Later, he shared footage of flames surrounding the concrete deck of his Palisades home.
“To all the wonderful people who’ve reached out to us, thank you for being so concerned,” he wrote in a subsequent post.
A firefighter wipes his eyes as he sprays water on a burning home while battling the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2025. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A home is engulfed in flames during the Eaton Fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles County, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2025. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
A firefighting aircraft drops fire retardant on the Palisades Fire amid a powerful windstorm in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7, 2025. Apu Gomes/Getty Images
Ambers are carried by the wind-driven Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 7, 2025. David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images
People watch smoke from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 7, 2025. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images
Los Angeles County firefighters spray water on a burning home as the Eaton Fire moved through the area in Altadena, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2025. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Newsom Deploys National Guard to Help Fight Blazes
Fire personnel respond to homes destroyed while a helicopter drops water as the Palisades Fire grows in Pacific Palisades, California on January 7, 2025. David Swanson / AFP via Getty Images
More Than 30,000 Evacuated in LA
At least 30,000 residents were under an evacuation order due to a series of wildfires around the Los Angeles area on Wednesday morning, authorities say.
A rapidly growing wildfire raged across an upscale section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, destroying numerous buildings and creating traffic jams as more than 30,000 people evacuated. Meanwhile, a second blaze doubled in size some 30 miles inland.
Nearly 3,000 acres of the Pacific Palisades area between the coastal towns of Santa Monica and Malibu had been burned by the Palisades Fire as of Wednesday morning, officials said, after they had already warned of extreme fire danger from powerful winds that arrived following extended dry weather.
The second blaze dubbed the Eaton Fire broke out some 30 miles inland near Pasadena and doubled in size to 400 acres (162 hectares) in a few hours. A map shows that as of Wednesday morning, more than 2,000 acres have burned.
A list of evacuation orders for localities due to the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire is provided on Cal Fire’s website.
Fire officials said a third blaze named the Hurst Fire had started in Sylmar, in the San Fernando Valley northwest of Los Angeles, prompting evacuations of some nearby residents. About 500 acres have been burned so far.
At the same time, some 160,000 residential or commercial customers are without power in the Los Angeles area, likely due to the fires and high winds, according to Poweroutage.us.
The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7, 2025. AP Photo/Ethan Swope
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who declared a state of emergency, said the state positioned personnel, firetrucks, and aircraft elsewhere in Southern California because of the fire’s danger to the wider region.
Newsom said that “a highly dangerous windstorm” is creating an “extreme fire risk, and we’re not out of the woods.” He added, “We’re already seeing the destructive impacts with this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes.”
“I have offered any federal assistance that is needed to help suppress the terrible Pacific Palisades fire,” President Joe Biden said in a Tuesday night statement in response to the fires. A federal grant had already been approved to help reimburse the state of California for its fire response, Biden said.
The City of Santa Monica, in a statement, said that “an evacuation order has been issued between the northern border of the city and San Vicente Boulevard, between Ocean Avenue and 26th Street.” As of 5 a.m. local time on Wednesday, that order had not been changed, it said in an update.
Nearby, the City of Malibu said in a 6:30 a.m. update that the Palisades Fire is still “uncontained,” adding that “even if your area is not under evacuation orders, all residents should prepare to evacuate if conditions worsen.” The fire is now “likely moving towards the Franklin Fire scar,” officials said.
The National Weather Service said it had been receiving reports of winds up to 80 mph on Thursday morning. They could top 100 mph in mountains and foothills and include areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months as red flag warnings are highlighting extremely critical fire weather conditions.
A resident of a senior center is evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches in Altadena, Calif., on Jan. 7, 2025. AP Photo/Ethan Swope
Those include exceptionally dry relative humidity levels, according to Peter Mullinax, a meteorologist with the weather service. He says the winds are expected to continue into Thursday, “providing very little in terms of any relief.”
Red flag warnings, which denote the risk of a fire due to winds and dry conditions, were issued around the foothills above Los Angeles, near Lompoc and Santa Maria as well as Oxnard, according to the weather service.
A number of Hollywood celebrities have indicated in media interviews and on social media that they’ve been affected by the fires. Actor Steve Guttenberg told KTLA television that friends of his were impeded from evacuating because others had abandoned their cars on the road.
Longtime actor and conservative commentator James Woods said on X he was able to evacuate his Pacific Palisades house but he added: “I do not know at this moment if our home is still standing.”
“Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill said on Instagram Tuesday that he, too, was evacuated due to the wildfires. Describing the move as “last-minute,” Hamill said he spotted “small fires on both sides of the road as we approached [the Pacific Coast Highway].”
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pacific Palisades Fire: Newsom Declares State of Emergency, 30,000 Ordered to Evacuate
A helicopter drops water on the flames of the wind-driven Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on Jan. 7, 2025. David Swanson / AFP via Getty Images
At least 30,000 people were ordered to evacuate their homes on Jan. 7 after a fast-moving wildfire erupted in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. The fire engulfed nearly 3,000 acres of land, prompting California Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency.
About 13,000 structures are under threat, according to authorities. The exact number of buildings damaged or destroyed by the blaze is not yet clear.
A fire official told local television station KTLA that several people had been injured, including some with burns to their faces and hands, and added that one female firefighter had sustained a head injury.
Screen Actors Guild Awards Calls Off Live Nominations Amid Los Angeles Wildfires
A general view of the carpet at the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Feb. 24, 2024. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Photo
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards has called off the live, in-person announcement of its 31st awards nominations scheduled for Wednesday due to the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles.
The SAG said the decision was made out of “an abundance of caution for the safety” of its presenters, guests, and staff amid the wildfires and adverse wind conditions in Los Angeles, according to a statement posted on social media platform X on Wednesday.
Instead, the nominations for awards honoring the best in film and television performances will be unveiled through a press release and on the official SAG Awards website at 7.30 a.m. PT on Wednesday.
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