Palisades Fire Spreads East, Death Toll Climbs to 16
The Palisades fire, which started the morning of Jan. 7 and is the largest of the four blazes ravaging Los Angeles County, has moved east, forcing evacuations in Brentwood and parts of Encino. On Saturday, the fire spread to Mandeville Canyon. The flames’ direction headed into “a heavily populated area … we’re definitely concerned,” L.A. County spokesman Jesus Ruiz said. As of Saturday evening, Jan. 11, at least 16 people have died in the wind-whipped fires.
The fires have claimed more than 12,000 structures and burned more than 37,000 acres, with the Palisades fire burning more than 23,000 acres, and the Eaton fire at more than 14,000 acres as of Saturday. The Palisades fire is at 11 percent containment and Eaton is 15 percent contained.
More from Rolling Stone
On Thursday, the Kenneth fire erupted north of Calabasas, the latest blaze to ravage Los Angeles. The fire quickly spread to 1,000 acres in a matter of hours as firefighters continued to fight the two largest fires, in Eaton and Pacific Palisades, that are now among the 20 most destructive fires recorded in California. By Saturday, the Kenneth fire was 80 percent contained.
On Friday, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell spoke at a White House briefing, doubling down on the Biden administration’s commitment to helping those affected by the fires. “This is not about politics. It’s about people. It’s about humanity,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, assuring that the support will continue as the presidential administrations transition.
At a news conference the night prior, L.A. City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said that the Kenneth fire shows “we are absolutely not out of this extreme weather event.” The flames spread near homes in Calabasas and West Hills as mandatory evacuations were sent for areas around the fire.
In a related event Thursday, evacuation alerts for the Kenneth fire were mistakenly sent to residents across Los Angeles around 4 p.m. and a corrected alert was issued shortly after. “Disregard the last evacuation warning,” the message read. “It was for the Kenneth Fire only.”
Authorities also revealed that they took in a man who was suspected by locals of starting the Kenneth fire. Police did not find probable cause to arrest the person on arson suspicion, but he was taken into custody on a felony probation violation.
L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone announced the first two confirmed fatalities at a Wednesday press conference, adding that others, including firefighters, suffered “significant” injuries. Along with the 16 deaths, 180,000 people have been forced to evacuate. Evacuation updates can be found here.
Meanwhile, the devastating Palisades fire that started the morning of Jan. 7 in the Santa Monica Mountains near the Pacific Ocean was still raging Thursday. The fire has reached nearly 20,000 acres. Officials said the Palisades fire was especially challenging to battle due to the topography of the mountains, the area’s drought-stricken vegetation, low humidity, and the nearly hurricane-force winds of up to 100 m.p.h that continued overnight. More than 10,000 homes, businesses and other structures have been damaged or destroyed in the Palisades and Eaton fires, officials said on Thursday.
“It’s a war zone,” Denisa Hanna, music director of the Palisades Lutheran Church that hosts the Palisades Symphony tells Rolling Stone. She said several grocery stores and nearby apartment buildings were completely destroyed. At least two members of the symphony lost their homes, she said. “It’s awful, just awful.”
The Hurst fire broke out around 10:10 p.m. on Jan. 7, not far from the 5 Freeway in the Sylmar area north of Burbank. It was burning in the footprint of the historic Saddleridge fire that burned the area in 2019. It grew rapidly to 500 acres in a matter of hours due to the fierce winds. The Woodley fire in the Sepulveda Basin near the intersection of the 405 and 101 freeways started in a park around 6:15 a.m. on Jan. 8 and was burning about 30 acres, officials said. It has since been contained.
Crowley said the fires were “intense” but that the powerful winds had grounded water-dropping aircraft overnight. The flights resumed Wednesday. Windswept ash and the smell of smoke blanketed the Los Angeles region, with the sky glowing an ominous orange amid the haze. Downed branches, trees and even some power lines littered the streets
“Together, these fires are stretching the capacity of emergency services to their maximum limits,” Crowley previously said, adding that “several” firefighters were among those injured in the Palisades Fire.
L.A. County Sheriff Robert G. Luna said that as he was approaching the podium to speak Wednesday, he was receiving messages about employees who had lost their homes. He said the Altadena sheriff’s station was partially on fire at one point.
“This is a tragic time in our history here in Los Angeles, but a time where we’re really tested,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said. “The winds were like something that I have never seen before.” He called conditions around the city “unprecedented.”
Earlier this week, forecasters warned of a “life-threatening, destructive” windstorm that could hit Southern California. The dire predictions were realized when the powerful winds led the Palisades fire to burn land at a rate of three football fields every minute, said the New York Times.
The Palisades fire ripped through residential areas down to the Pacific Coast Highway. On Jan. 7, the grounds of the Getty Villa had caught fire, too, but it appeared the damage there was contained. Katherine E. Fleming, president and chief executive of the J. Paul Getty Trust, said the museum had “made extensive efforts to clear brush from the surrounding area as part of its fire mitigation efforts throughout the year. Some trees and vegetation on site have burned, but staff and the collection remain safe.”
While wind speeds were due to subside Wednesday, the Santa Ana windstorm described as the strongest in a decade was expected to cause unpredictable conditions through Thursday. Forecasters were worried about changes in the wind direction, with Andrew Rock of the National Weather Service saying winds blowing from the northeast would push the Palisades fire west toward more structures. Swirling wind patterns known as eddies have also formed near the Eaton fire and could push the fire in unexpected directions.
Dangerous winds led to Southern California Edison shutting off power to thousands of residents to prevent its electric system from sparking a wildfire. By late Tuesday afternoon, more than 1.5 million customers were without power in Southern California, with about 334,000 without power in Ventura County, and more than 957,000 with no power in Los Angeles County.
“It’s bad. It’s like an inferno,” Lori Libonati, a Palisades resident who evacuated, told the Los Angeles Times.
As the Palisades fire quickly spread across the area, multiple people left their cars and fled on foot. Traffic was gridlocked as people evacuated the neighborhood, and a bulldozer was needed to move abandoned vehicles to clear a path for fire crews and evacuations on Palisades Drive and Sunset Boulevard.
“It looks horrible,” George Hutchinson, who lives in an apartment on Sunset Boulevard and Temescal Canyon, told the Times. “You can keep seeing houses burn. It jumps and it’s crazy. Traffic is gridlock — there are three ways in and out of this town and it’s all packed. Lots of chaos.”
L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath called the fires “immensely painful” for countless people. “This morning we woke up to a dark cloud over all of Los Angeles,” she said at the Wednesday morning press conference. “It is difficult to process the immensity of the destruction and loss.”
This story was updated on Jan. 11 @ 11:10 p.m. ET with new death toll numbers, Palisades fire eastern shift, and new damage and containment numbers.
Launch Gallery: Deadly Wildfires Burn Through Los Angeles: Photos
Best of Rolling Stone
Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.