As firefighters battle roaring fires, LA officials investigate why alerts sent in error
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Two major wildfires continue to rage largely uncontained in the Los Angeles area, even as firefighters begin to make some progress battling other blazes. The fires have decimated homes and other buildings, prompted hundreds of thousands of evacuations and killed at least 10 people.
The modest gains may be threatened, however, as fierce winds ignite and intensify flames. On Friday, a new inferno — the Archer fire — erupted in Granada Hills in the San Fernando Valley region.
Meanwhile, LA officials said they are investigating why emergency alerts were sent in error to millions of residents, calling it their top priority and saying they plan to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
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While there's been considerable progress in containing the Hurst and Lidia fires, the two largest — the Palisades and Eaton fires — persist with little to no signs of waning, according to city officials. On Thursday night, a new blaze erupted in West Hills, destroying over 1,000 acres within hours.
What you need to know
At least 10 people have died due to the fires, the Los Angeles Medical Examiner's Office confirmed. "Unfortunately I think the death toll will rise," LA Sheriff Robert Luna said earlier this week.
At least 153,000 people have had to evacuate and about 166,000 people are under evacuation warnings as of Friday, according to Luna.
In total, more than 35,000 acres have been decimated, with the Palisades and Eaton fires driving the destruction, according to the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
More than 10 million Angelenos received evacuation alerts on their phones that were sent by mistake on Thursday and early Friday morning. But LA County Emergency Manager Kevin McGowan urged residents not to disable their emergency alerts.
A firefighting plane was grounded Thursday after colliding with a drone. The aircraft, which was dropping water on the Palisades fire, sustained a fist-size hole in its wing
On Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered an investigation into the loss of water pressure to local fire hydrants and the reported shortage of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir.
The latest on the fires | What's been lost | Communities affected | How to stay safe
Keep reading for more information, and check back throughout the day for updates.
The fires
As of Friday morning, the massive Palisades fire, which has consumed over 20,000 acres, was only 8% contained. The Eaton fire, which has led to the deaths of at least five people and has burned nearly 14,000 acres, was at 3% containment. The fire threatened the observatory on Mount Wilson on Thursday, but officials said no buildings were destroyed, according to city officials at a press conference on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, the Lidia fire near Acton reached more than 75% containment. Over one-third of the Hurst fire near Sylmar and the Kenneth fire in West Hills have been contained.
The latest on:
➡️ The Eaton fire
➡️ The Hurst fire
➡️ The Kenneth fire
➡️ The Lidia fire
➡️ The Palisades fire
➡️ The Woodley fire
➡️ The Archer fire
The critical test on Friday will be whether the containment lines can withstand strong wind gusts, which the National Weather Service says may reach up to 60 mph. A red flag warning remains in place until 6 p.m. PST.
About 8,000 personnel are responding to the fires from local, state, out-of-state and federal agencies, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said. The state has requested resources from Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Utah and Idaho, as well as Canada and Mexico.
Nearly 800 incarcerated people have been assisting in the fight against the historic wildfire in a long-running and controversial state practice.
Communities affected
California residents are reeling over the sheer magnitude of destruction. Jinghuan Liu Tervalon, who lost her Altadena home to the Eaton fire, told NPR she expected to evacuate for just a day and did not know her home's fire insurance coverage.
"I keep on waking up at night thinking, 'Oh, my God, how did I not anticipate this?'" she said. "If I could go back in time, I would have packed a lot more stuff from the house."
A curfew has been issued for areas under the Palisades and Eaton fire evacuation zones from 6 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Saturday. LA Sheriff Robert Luna said Friday that the curfew is in place to "enhance public safety, protect property and prevent any burglaries or looting in the area."
A person was arrested Thursday after reports of suspected arson near the Kenneth fire. There was not enough probable cause, but the individual is being held on a probation violation, Dominic Choi, LA Police Department assistant chief, said Friday. He added that the investigation is ongoing.
On Friday, LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office would be focusing on people flying drones in areas restricted for firefighting planes. It comes after a firefighting plane collided with a drone and was forced to ground on Thursday. The aircraft, which was dropping water on the Palisades fire, sustained a fist-size hole in its wing. It is currently being repaired and expected to return to the air Monday.
The Los Angeles Unified School District closed its schools throughout the week, and will continue to do so Friday.
The NFL has moved a game scheduled for Monday between the Vikings and Rams from Inglewood, Calif., to Glendale, Ariz. Earlier, the NBA postponed a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets to an unannounced date.
Twenty people have been arrested for looting in LA, a number Luna said is likely to go up.
The latest on the fires | What's been lost | Communities affected | How to stay safe
The losses so far
Local officials estimate that about 10,000 properties have been damaged or destroyed, and hundreds more will likely be discovered in the coming days.
On Thursday, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara used his moratorium powers to bar insurance companies from canceling or not renewing the policies of homeowners affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires over the next year.
➡️ Photos: See the California wildfires' destructive force, in satellite images
The fast-moving infernos in Southern California are on track to becoming the costliest wildfires in the U.S. ever.
AccuWeather, a commercial company that provides data on weather and its impact, increased its estimate of total damage and economic loss to the region at between $135 billion to $150 billion. By those projections, the blaze is expected to far surpass the current most expensive wildfire in U.S. history — the 2018 Camp fire in Paradise, Calif. — which caused $30 billion in damages, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.
How to help and stay safe
Resources to help stay safe:
➡️ Trying to stay safe in a wildfire? There's an app that can help
➡️ What to do — and not do — when you get home after a fire evacuation
➡️ How to keep yourself safe from wildfire smoke
Ways to support the response and recovery:
➡️ Resources for SoCal fire victims, evacuees and first responders
➡️ Got loved ones affected by LA Fires? These wildfire resources may help
The California Newsroom is following the extreme weather from across the region. Click through to LAist's coverage for the latest.
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