Fire chief says Hollywood Hills fire is ‘rapidly expanding’ and progress on containing LA fires is ‘zero’
The family of one of the victims of the LA wildfires has revealed a a tragic detail about how he was discovered.
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The National Guard have been called in as ferocious wildfires continue to rip through Los Angeles — with a fire chief saying the fire burning in the Hollywood Hills is “rapidly expanding” and progress on containing the fires “is zero”.
At least five wildfires are raging in Los Angeles and neighbouring counties - three are completely uncontained
Panicked evacuations are now taking place as “hurricane-force” winds fuelled rapid growth of the fires.
The outbreak of a new fire in the Hollywood Hills has sent authorities into overdrive, as local firefighters report dwindling water resources and supplies.
Fire victim was found holding hose
One of the victims killed in the LA wildfires had refused to evacuate and was found holding a hose as he tried to save his family home of 55 years, grieving loved ones have said.
The charred remains of Victor Shaw, 66, were found Wednesday morning by a family friend outside of the Monterose Avenue home he lived in with his younger sister, Shari Shaw, KTLA reported.
Shari said she had tried to get her brother to evacuate Tuesday night as the fast-moving Eaton inferno closed in — but as she was going out the door, Victor told her he wanted to stay behind and fight the fire, despite having health problems that limited his mobility.
“When I went back in and yelled out his name, he didn’t reply back, and I had to get out because the embers were so big and flying like a firestorm that I had to save myself,” Shari told KTLA.
“And I looked behind me, and the house was starting to go up in flames, and I had to leave.”
Family friend Al Tanner found Victor’s burnt body on the side of the road the next morning — still with the garden hose in his hands.
“It looks like he was trying to save the home that his parents had for almost 55 years,” Tanner told the outlet.
Shari said she “fell to the ground” when she learned the horrible news — and couldn’t bring herself to look at her dead brother.
“They just told me that he was lying on the ground and that he looked serene, as if he was at peace,” she said.
-With the NY Post
More days of fire weather
Large areas of Los Angeles County remain under a red flag waring.
Forecasters predict critical fire weather to last through until Friday night (local time).
On Thursday firefighters were continuing to fight the Palisades fire, and the Eaton fire that burned through the Pasadena and Altadena areas.
But firefighters were able to keep a wildfire that broke out near Runyon Canyon above Hollywood on Wednesday and kept a house fire in Studio City from spreading.
Life in LA at a standstill
As fires continue to burn major events, including sport are being cancelled or postponed.
The LA Kings, in the National Hockey League, postponed their game against Calgary at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles due to the fires.
The Kings share their arena with the NBA’s LA Lakers, who are scheduled to play at the venue against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night.
Crypto.com Arena is just a 20 minute drive from a fire burning in the Hollywood Hills.
Famous street in ruins
LA’s iconic street, Sunset Boulevard, lays in ruins in the Palisades.
Many cafes and shops have been completely destroyed by the fire that first broke out Wednesday evening.
Progress on containing fires is “zero” - fire chief
David Acuna, a battalion chief at the Californian Fire Service, said the fires burning in the Hollywood Hills is “rapidly expanding” while progress on containing the fires is “zero”.
“The wind has been blowing consistently at 60-100mph since yesterday morning,” Acuna told the BBC.
“It actually blew harder last night,” he says, adding wind speeds have now dropped to about 30 mph (48kmh). But “it is still significant and because there are a lot of open areas it is extremely dangerous.”
Acuna added more evacuation warnings and orders are being drawn up.
National Guard called in
Governor Gavin Newsom has deployed over 600 National Guard members to tackle the fires.
The Palisades Fire has consumed 17,234 acres as it has been burning for over 36 hours since it was first reported in the wooded mountains west of Los Angeles on Tuesday.
The Eaton Fire, east of LA in the Pasadena, Altadena area of the county, has taken over 10,600.
At least five people have been killed and more than 2000 buildings burned in rampaging wildfires that are “sweeping like lightning” around Los Angeles, with firefighters overwhelmed by the speed and ferocity of multiple blazes.
Evacuation orders were in place for about 100,000 people across the area and more than three million people were without power as of Wednesday afternoon.
The iconic Hollywood Boulevard, home to several iconic landmarks including the Walk of Fame and Hollywood Bowl, has also been pushed into a mass evacuation.
Dramatic images are emerging from the heavily-populated city inundated by flames, showing a Bank of America completely engulfed among other prominent buildings.
There have also been two arrests made in response to looting amid the chaos.
Cars are now stacking up in crucial chokepoints across Hollywood, with local news teams filming the chaos.
WATCH: A massive fire is threatening Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles
— Election Wizard (@ElectionWiz) January 9, 2025
pic.twitter.com/4WTcvyENn2
🚨 #BREAKING: Absolute gridlock in Downtown Hollywood as the Sunset Fire rapidly approaches
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 9, 2025
Cars are blocked in all directions as people desperately try to evacuate.
These are apocalyptic conditions. Almost doesn’t seem real. pic.twitter.com/KdyHZPiyVP
Fire burns in Runyon Canyon
The latest fire in the Hollywood Hills was reported to have started in the vicinity of Runyon Canyon, ABC7 reported, just north of Hollywood Boulevard, before rapidly spreading to about 20 acres.
Three fires in total are now burning in Los Angeles County with 0 per cent containment, officials said, warning that the worst was yet to come as the Santa Ana winds pushed from the east. Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley confirmed the Woodley Fire in the San Fernando Valley has been controlled at around 30 acres.
Local resident Ken Robinson said the blaze “came up so quickly” in the Runyon Canyon.
“It swept fast like lightning,” he told CNN.
Another family said they fled to a family member’s home in Las Vegas after realising they couldn’t breathe properly. They only had time to pack the bare essentials before they sped out of California.
“We had to evacuate,” Tony Espinoza told KSNV.
“We left in a hurry. We only had a few hours to pack. My neighbours were still in their houses.
“We couldn’t breathe anymore. We had all the filters going in the house, the HEPA filters and nothing seemed to work.
“We packed our bags only for about three days. Because we all have jobs to go to. We have rent to pay. Bills are still due.”
Beachfront mansions destroyed
Shocking footage shows stretches of beachfront homes on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, some of the most expensive real estate in the world, completely destroyed by wildfires.
A drone image shared on X purportedly showed the upscale Pacific Palisades area just to the east, once packed with multimillion-dollar homes, reduced to smouldering rubble.
“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,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said on Wednesday afternoon.
Having razed perhaps hundreds of multimillion-dollar homes, the Palisades fire — the biggest inferno — looked set to be one of the costliest blazes on record.
Biden cancels overseas trip
President Joe Biden has cancelled his upcoming trip to Italy to focus instead on the federal response to the fires.
“After returning this evening from Los Angeles, where earlier today he had met with police, fire and emergency personnel ... President Biden made the decision to cancel his upcoming trip to Italy to remain focused on directing the full federal response in the days ahead,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Biden had been due to travel to Italy from Thursday to Sunday, likely his final overseas trip as president
MORE: Celeb homes destroyed in LA fires revealed
Terrified residents flee
Terrifying footage from the Palisades fire showed two men and a dog trapped inside a home surrounded by flames practically licking the windows.
Social media user Kevin Dalton, who shared the clip on X, said he was told all three were able to safely evacuate.
Frightened residents abandoned their cars on one of the only roads in and out of Pacific Palisades, fleeing on foot.
Firefighters used bulldozers to push dozens of vehicles — including expensive models such as BMWs, Teslas and Mercedes — to one side, leaving many crumpled and with their alarms blaring. Some celebrities posted comments and pictures on social media platforms.
“The hydrants are down,” one firefighter said over the radio, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Water supply just dropped,” reported another one.
Former LA mayoral hopeful and billionaire developer Rick Caruso backed the claims made by the first responders as his staff reported to him from the Palisades Village in the Westside neighbourhood.
“There’s no water in the fire hydrants,” Mr Caruso told the outlet. “The firefighters are there and there’s nothing they can do — we’ve got neighbourhoods burning, homes burning, and businesses burning … It should never happen.”
Mr Caruso criticised LA Mayor Karen Bass for being out of the country on a trip to Africa for the inauguration of Ghana’s President John Mahama.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power chief executive Janisse Quinones pleaded with people to save water, after hydrants in Pacific Palisades ran dry overnight.
She said three million-gallon tanks used to supply the neighbourhood’s more than 20,000 residents were exhausted by 3am on Wednesday.
“I need our customers to really conserve water … because the fire department needs the water to fight the fires,” Ms Quinones said.
“We’re fighting a wildfire with urban water systems, and that is really challenging.”
More than 1400 firefighters were on the ground, with hundreds more on the way, California Governor Gavin Newsom said.
Famous school catches fire
Parts of Palisades Charter High School caught fire and have been burnt as the Palisades wildfire roars through Los Angeles.
The famous high school, which touts alumni like Forest Whitaker, J.J. Abrams, and Will.i.am, has been featured in many iconic films, such as the 2003 remake of Freaky Friday starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, the MTV show Teen Wolf, and the cult classic 1976 horror movie Carrie.
In addition, Palisades Charter High School was also used in 1984’s Savage Streets, 2012 film Project X, and 2001’s Crazy/Beautiful.
US media reported one firefighter among several injured in the Palisades.
“Extreme fire behaviour … continues to challenge firefighting efforts for the Palisades Fire,” with winds gusts up to 95km/h expected to continue through Thursday, the LA Fire Department an update on Wednesday morning.
Velma Wright, 102, was evacuated from a care facility as embers and flames approached in Pasadena, an AFP photographer saw, from where dozens other residents were moved.
Trees and vegetation around the prestigious Getty Villa Museum were burned, but the structure and collections were spared, the museum said in a post on X.
The Getty, set up by US oil billionaire and collector J. Paul Getty and one of the world’s richest art museums, houses Greek and Roman antiquities in a replica Roman country home.
Actor James Woods posted a video on X showing flames engulfing trees and bushes near his Palisades home as he got ready to evacuate, and shortly afterwards said all the fire alarms were going off.
“I couldn’t believe our lovely little home in the hills held on this long. It feels like losing a loved one,” Woods said.
Star Wars star Mark Hamill told his followers on Instagram that he had fled his Malibu home on Tuesday.
“Evacuated Malibu so last-minute there were small fires on both sides of the road as we approached PCH,” he wrote, referring to the Pacific Coast Highway, a scenic road that connects seafront settlements.
The Luke Skywalker actor said he and his wife Marilou York, along with a pet dog, had gone to their daughter’s Hollywood home to escape what he dubbed the “most horrific fire since ‘93”.
‘Whole place is lighting up’
Across town, on the northern edge of Los Angeles, another fire broke out in Eaton Canyon, near Pasadena, quickly consuming 2000 acres with 0 per cent containment, destroying more than 100 structures, according to Mr Marrone.
Two civilians were killed in that fire, officials confirmed earlier on Wednesday.
The cause of the deaths is “unknown at this time,” Mr Marrone told reporters at an update Wednesday morning local time.
Additional “significant injuries” have been reported in the fire, he said.
Mandy Moore, the singer and This Is Us actress, told followers on Instagram she had fled with her children and pets from the path of the fire.
“Trying to shield the kids from the immense sadness and worry I feel. Praying for everyone in our beautiful city. So gutted for the destruction and loss. Don’t know if our place made it,” she wrote.
The Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center was among the buildings that burned to the ground overnight in the Eaton fire, according to Angeles National Forest officials.
Alex Fernandez, a worshipper at the temple, watched on helplessly as his house of worship was ruined.
“I feel numb to it,” Mr Fernandez told NBC Los Angeles. “It’s like a bad, bad horrific dream to see that it’s not going to be here tomorrow. This whole place is lighting up.”
The city of Malibu west of Los Angeles told its residents via social media post, “Prepare to evacuate quickly if fire conditions worsen. Evacuate now, especially if you need extra time or have pets/livestock.”
Meanwhile, a third fire began burning overnight on Tuesday local time. It has grown to 500 acres, according to local officials and has triggered evacuation orders in neighbouring Santa Clarita. A fourth fire later broke out in Riverside County but has since been contained.
A fifth wildfire — the Woodley fire — continues to burn out of control in Los Angeles County.
The fire began around 6.15am local time Wednesday and so far has burned about 75 acres around the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve in Encino, according to Cal Fire.
It is currently 0 per cent contained.
The Woodley fire is located between the massive Palisades fire to the south, and the Hurst fire to the north, which now has consumed at least 500 acres, officials say.
US President Joe Biden — who was in Los Angeles for a planned announcement on new national monuments — said he was “being frequently briefed on the wildfires” and has offered “any federal assistance that is needed”.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who has a house in California, said she was praying for “fellow Californians who have evacuated”.
‘He is to blame’: Trump weighs in
President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on the unfolding crisis by blaming Governor Newsom.
“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!”
He said in another post, “The fires in Los Angeles may go down, in dollar amount, as the worst in the History of our Country. In many circles, they’re doubting whether insurance companies will even have enough money to pay for this catastrophe. Let this serve, and be emblematic, of the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newscum Duo. January 20th cannot come fast enough!”
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.
A spokeswoman for Mr Newsom on Wednesday accused Mr Trump of “playing politics” as the fires raged.
“There is no such document as the water restoration declaration — that is pure fiction,” she told NBC News.
“The Governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need.”
Meanwhile Mayor Bass flew back into a storm of criticism on Wednesday amid calls for her resignation.
She remained deathly silent when confronted by a Sky News reporter at the airport.
“Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent whilst their homes were burning?” David Blevins asked.
“Do you regret cutting the fire department’s budget by millions of dollars? Have you nothing to say to the citizens today? Elon Musk says that you’re utterly incompetent, are you considering your position?”
Blevins continued to pepper the Mayor with questions before she was whisked away through a security door.
‘Everyone panicked’
The fire erupted midmorning and swelled quickly, taking many residents by surprise.
One man, who gave his name as Gary, told broadcaster KTLA that hot ashes were raining down on his community of Sea Ridge.
“There was smoke in the distance, and I was assured that it would not come over the hill … five minutes later, it’s coming down the hill,” he said.
“Everyone panicked, that’s when everybody made a run and went to go and pack their houses up.”
Evacuee Kelsey Trainor said she saw the fire explode in size as she was fleeing. “By the time we got to the bottom of the hill, which is about two or three miles, there were flames on both sides of the road, and it became gridlocked,” she said.
“No one knew what to do. Everyone was honking their horns. There’s flames all around you. I could see people walking with suitcases, with their dogs, children. An elderly woman was really visibly upset and in tears.”
Pacific Palisades resident Andrew Hires told AFP he got a text alerting him to the fire as his child was at the dentist about to have a tooth extracted.
“We pulled off the mask and ran to the car,” he said.
‘Worse’ weather conditions
Martin Sansing, 54, told AFP he has lived in Santa Monica canyon for 20 years and had never seen anything similar.
“We’re in a pretty urban area. We’re not like, on a hill or anything like that. I never imagined we would be affected,” he said.
The fire came as the area was being hit by seasonal Santa Ana winds that forecasters said could develop into the worst windstorm in a decade, with gusts of up to 160km/h expected.
“This looks pretty, pretty concerning,” said meteorologist Daniel Swain.
“And what’s going on now is only just the beginning, because weather conditions are going to get a lot worse.”
With a huge pall of smoke visible over the whole of Los Angeles, events throughout the area were cancelled, including a red-carpet premiere of Jennifer Lopez’s new film Unstoppable.
Wildfires are an expected 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.
— with AFP
More Coverage
Originally published as Fire chief says Hollywood Hills fire is ‘rapidly expanding’ and progress on containing LA fires is ‘zero’
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