Firefighters work to extinguish the Palisades Fire as it continues to burn in the Mandeville Canyon area of Los Angeles, California, on January 11, 2025.
Agustín Pourier | AFP | Getty Images
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office has confirmed that the death toll from wildfires that have devastated the region has increased to 16.
The total number of confirmed deaths has reached 16, and the incident is still under investigation. The coroner’s office said in a statement Saturday evening that five of the deaths were caused by the Palisades fire and 11 were caused by the Eaton fire.
So far, 11 people have been confirmed dead, but officials said they expected that number to rise as cadaver dogs searched the area and crews assessed the situation. . Authorities have established a center where people can report missing persons.
New evacuations are underway as firefighters scramble to stop the wildfire from spreading before strong winds pick up again that could push the flames into the world-famous J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles. The advisory put even more homeowners in jeopardy.
A fierce battle with the blaze is underway in Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities not far from the Pacific Coast, as flames hurtle downhill. A helicopter sprayed water. Thick smoke blanketed the chaparral-covered hillside as firefighters on the ground used hoses to try to fight off the leaping flames.
CalFire Operations Director Christian Ritz said in a briefing that Saturday’s main focus will be on the Palisades Fire, which is located in a canyon area not far from the UCLA campus.
“We need to be aggressive there,” Ritz said.
Firefighters continue to battle the devastating Los Angeles wildfire that devastated several areas of the nation’s second-largest city on January 11, 2025.
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County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the Los Angeles area was experiencing “another night of unimaginable horror and heartbreak as more Angelenos were evacuated as the Palisades Fire spread northeast.”
Light winds were fanning the flames, but the National Weather Service warned that strong Santa Ana winds, a natural enemy of firefighters, could soon return. These winds are largely blamed for turning the wildfires into an inferno that has devastated entire areas around the city, which had not seen significant rain for more than eight months.
The fire threatened to jump Interstate 405 and reach densely populated areas of the Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Valley.
Search for bodies continues
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the grueling process of investigating the wreck continued Saturday, with teams conducting a systematic grid search using cadaver dogs. He said a family support center has been established in Pasadena and urged residents to abide by the curfew.
“There are people who are trying to drive in just to look. Please stay away,” he said.
The fire has burned about 56 square miles (145 square kilometers), an area larger than San Francisco. Tens of thousands of people remain under evacuation orders after the fire reignited on the east side of the Palisades Fire, with new evacuation orders issued Friday night.
More than 12,000 buildings, including homes, apartments, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles, have been destroyed since the fire first broke out just north of downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday.
The cause of the largest fire has not been determined, and early estimates indicate it could be the costliest in the nation’s history. AccuWeather’s preliminary estimates put the damage and economic losses to date at between $135 billion and $150 billion.
A light of kindness amidst misery
So many volunteers came to help at the donation center on Saturday that some were turned away. The same was true for the YMCA near Koreatown. By early morning, cars carrying would-be helpers had begun to be turned away from the Santa Anita Park racetrack, where donations of essential items had been accepted.
A firefighting helicopter releases water as the Palisades Fire grows in the Mandeville Canyon area and near Encino, California, January 11, 2025.
Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images
At the racetrack on Friday, homeless people could be seen rummaging through piles of donated shirts, blankets and other household items. Jose Luis Godinez, a resident of Altadena, said three homes in which about a dozen members of his family lived were destroyed.
“Everything is gone,” he said in Spanish. “My whole family lives in those three houses, and now we have nothing.”
Officials warn against returning to burned house
After their homes were destroyed by wildfires, some residents are returning to see what they can salvage, sifting through the rubble for mementos. But authorities warned on Saturday that the ash could contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other harmful substances and urged people to stay away.
“If you’re kicking it up, you’re breathing it in,” said Chris Thomas, spokesman for the Palisades Fire Joint Incident Command. “All that stuff is toxic.”
Thomas said residents will be allowed to return wearing protective equipment after damage teams have assessed their property.
City leadership accused of skimping on fire department funding
Suspicions of leadership failure and political responsibility have begun, and an investigation has begun. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered state officials to figure out why a 117 million-gallon (440 million liter) reservoir became inoperable and some fire hydrants ran dry. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley said city leadership failed the department by not providing adequate funding for firefighting efforts. She also criticized water shortages.
“When firefighters come to a hydrant, we expect there to be water,” she said.
Progress made in extinguishing Eaton fire
Firefighters made their first efforts Friday afternoon to extinguish the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena, which has destroyed more than 7,000 structures. Officials said most evacuation orders for the area have been lifted.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who faces a major test of her leadership as the city faces its biggest crisis in decades, said several small fires had been stopped. said.
Even in a state that regularly faces major wildfires, the level of devastation is alarming.