A beach house is engulfed in flames as the Palisades Fire burns along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, on January 8, 2025. At least five people have been killed in wildfires rampaging around Los Angeles, officials said on January 8, with firefighters overwhelmed by the speed and ferocity of multiple blazes – including in Hollywood.
Image: Agustin Paullier / AFP
At least five people have been killed in wildfires rampaging around Los Angeles, officials said Wednesday, 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.
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 metres 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, told AFP 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 kilometres an hour – spread the fire around the ritzy Pacific Palisades neighbourhood 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 told AFP.
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.
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-energise lines during high winds to minimise 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.
Meteorologist Daniel Swain said the fierce winds are stronger than the usual seasonal Santa Ana winds, but are not unexpected.
"The winds are the driver, but the real catalyst... is this incredible antecedent dryness," he said.
"That's something that we haven't seen in records going back to the 1800s."
AFP
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