Death Toll Rises to 10 as Thousands of Homes Destroyed in LA Fires

Water is dropped by helicopter on the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles on Jan. 9, 2025. Ethan Swope/AP Photo

At least 10 people have now been killed and thousands of homes destroyed by the wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area, LA County officials have confirmed.

The vicious winds which whipped the flames into LA and caused chaos as hundreds of thousands of Angelenos evacuated have begun to weaken.

However, forecasters say the high-fire weather risk will continue into Friday.

Multiple blazes erupted around the City of Angels, causing damage and losses some estimates indicate could be as high as $150 billion.

Some 180,000 people are still subject to mandatory evacuation orders and firefighters continue their battles to bring the infernos under control.

The most recent blaze to ignite was the Kenneth Fire, which started late Thursday afternoon in the San Fernando Valley, just 2 miles from a school acting as a shelter for evacuees from another fire.

Its flames scorched their way into the neighboring Ventura County, but hundreds of firefighters managed to curtail the blaze.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a social media post on Thursday evening that 900 additional firefighters had been being deployed to battle the Kenneth Fire.

Some 400 firefighters remained on the scene throughout the night to guard against any flare-ups.

Just hours before the Kenneth Fire broke out, officials had expressed hope that firefighters, aided by calmer winds, and out of state crews, had begun to rein in the area’s two most devastating wildfires.

A firefighter sets a 'backburn' in front of the advancing Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles on Jan. 9, 2025. Ethan Swope/AP Photo

Some Containment Achieved

The Eaton Fire near Pasadena which began on Tuesday night has so far incinerated more than 5,000 structures, a term covering homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles.

It already ranks as the most destructive single blaze in LA’s history, engulfing more than 34,000 acres and incinerating entire neighborhoods.

Thursday saw firefighters establish the first element of containment of that particular blaze.

Out in the west of LA, in Pacific Palisades, the largest of the fires raging in the area has destroyed over 5,300 structures, with firefighters still having no containment of the blaze.

All the major conflagrations which broke out this week are located in a roughly 25-mile band just north of downtown LA, with no cause as yet identified as the spark of the largest fires.

Arrests Made

One man was arrested on suspicion of starting the Kenneth Fire on Thursday, according to Charles Dinsel, senior lead officer with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

The suspect was detained by community members in the Woodland Hills area, Dinsel told NewsNation, before police arrived.

“It’s being investigated as a crime,” he added.

Along that arrest, at least 20 others have been taken into custody for looting.

The city of Santa Monica, which is next to Pacific Palisades, declared a curfew due to lawlessness, officials said.

National Guard troops also arrived in LA on Thursday evening to protect property in affected areas.

“To those who would seek to take advantage of evacuated communities, let me be clear: looting will not be tolerated,” Governor Newsom said.

Of the 10 people so far confirmed dead, LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said two had perished in the Palisades Fire, while county officials said the Eaton Fire had killed five.

Cadaver dogs and crews are still combing through rubble to see if there are any further victims.

Two people ride bicycles amid the destruction left behind by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Economic Costs

Along with the human and environmental costs of the fires, the potential economic loss and damage has been estimated at between $135 billion and $150 billion, by weather forecasting service AccuWeather.

Their preliminary estimate includes both insured and uninsured losses and damage to property, wages, infrastructure, supply chain interruptions, and other disruptions.

“These fast-moving, wind-driven infernos have created one of the costliest wildfire disasters in modern U.S. history,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said in a statement.

“To put this into perspective, the total damage and economic loss from this wildfire disaster could reach nearly 4 percent of the annual GDP of the state of California,” Porter added.

The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage or specifics about how many structures burned.

Stars Lose Homes

The multiple infernos location, near some of the most desirable real estate in the United States, has resulted in several big names from the world of entertainment losing their homes.

Actor Billy Crystal confirmed that the Palisades home he has owned since 1979 had been lost to flames, while “The OC” star Adam Brody and his “Gossip Girl” alum wife Leighton Meester also lost their home, as did TV host Ricki Lake.

Reality TV star and hotel heiress Paris Hilton revealed she watched her Malibu home go up in flames live on television.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.