LA County fires rage on, with at least 10 people dead and 10,000 structures destroyed
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Flames seen from Topanga Canyon near Pacific Palisades in the Los Angeles area on Jan. 9. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
The wildfires that have killed 10 people and razed about 10,000 structures this week continued to rage across Los Angeles County on Friday.
The big picture: The fires are already among the most destructive recorded in the state.
- Although firefighters have made some progress, the high winds that helped fuel the blazes will remain high through Friday and are expected to pick back up early next week.
The latest: A mandatory curfew has been issued for the Palisades and Eaton fire areas and all mandatory evacuation zones, Los Aangeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a press conference Friday.
- The curfew — from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. — is intended to boost public safety and discourage looting and burglaries.
- About 153,000 residents remain under evacuation orders Friday, Luna said.
- Kevin McGowan, director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, apologized for an erroneous evacuation alert that was sent to some residents Thursday.
- "There is an extreme amount of frustration, anger, fear, with regards to the erroneous messages ... I can't express enough how sorry I am for this experience," McGowan said.
State of play: The fires have burned through nearly 36,000 acres already, per CalFire.
- The Palisades Fire has spread across over 20,438 acres in the area between Malibu and Santa Monica and was 8% contained as of Friday morning.
- The Eaton Fire, north of Pasadena, has burned nearly 14,000 acres and was 3% contained Friday.
- The Kenneth Fire, which erupted Thursday in the Calabasas and Hidden Hills areas, stood at 1,000 acres and 35% containment Friday.
- The Hurst Fire, which has burned 771 acres in the San Fernando Valley, was 37% contained. The Lidia Fire, spread across 395 acres in a rural, mountainous area near Acton, was 75% contained.
- The Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills was 100% contained Thursday. Other fires in Pacoima, Hollywood and Studio City have been extinguished, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said at the press conference Friday.
The big picture: President Biden announced Thursday the federal government will cover 100% of California's disaster assistance costs for the wildfires.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that the state was activating additional National Guard troops to assist in firefighting efforts.
- Sheriff Luna confirmed Friday that the California National Guard had been deployed to the Eaton Fire area Thursday and that more National Guard members were expected in the next "12-24 hours."
Zoom out: The blazes have been propelled by dry conditions and high winds, hitting after many parts of Southern California had no meaningful rainfall for more than eight months.
- Research shows human-caused climate change is leading to longer wildfire seasons in the western U.S. and has made severe seasons more frequent.
Go deeper: LA County fires among most destructive ever recorded in California
