Pacific Palisades fire burns in Los Angeles, Eaton fire kills 2: Live Updates

It appears the Palisades Fire has more than tripled in size from around 2,900 acres earlier Wednesday. 

Cal Fire says on its website the fire is now 11,802 acres. However, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said at a briefing Wednesday the fire was 10,802 acres.

The blaze has already burned at least 1,000 structures. Tens of thousands are under evacuation orders related to the fire.  

President Joe Biden and California Gov. Gavin Newsom were briefed about the California wildfires at a Santa Monica firehouse on Wednesday afternoon.

Biden had been visiting Los Angeles earlier in the week. His trip home was canceled on Tuesday.

During the briefing, fire officials updated the two leaders on the status of the wildfires and the efforts being made to battle the blazes. While the briefing was ongoing, the White House announced on social media that Mr. Biden has directed the Department of Defense to provide additional firefighting personnel and capabilities, including air support, to the state. 

"We're in it, here to stay," Mr. Biden said. 

During the briefing, Mr. Biden offered his support to the state. He also announced that his great-grandchild had been born.  

The Eaton Fire has jumped in size to burn at least 10,600 acres, Cal Fire said Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the fire had burned just over 2,000 acres. Fire officials announced the jump in size shortly after 10 a.m. local time. 

The fire has caused two deaths and a number of injuries, officials said during a news briefing Wednesday. The two fatalities were civilians. There is zero percent containment of the blaze, officials said. 

Nearly 400,000 customers were without power in California as of mid-morning Wednesday, according to poweroutage.us.

That includes 260,000 without power in Los Angeles County amid the fires. Tens of thousands of customers in neighboring counties were also out of power. 

"Under current conditions, customers experiencing outages should expect crews to respond between 24-48 hours from the time the outages are reported," the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said on its website, alongside an outage map. "Restoration of outages may take longer."

A California man told CBS News Los Angeles that his home was saved from the flames of the Eaton Fire, but said that many of his neighbors in the tight-knit community of Hastings Ranch, near Pasadena, lost theirs.

"I keep going from not crying to starting to cry again, because I know a lot of these people and they've lost everything," the man, Michael, said.

Michael said he had left his home around midnight, "when the house just above me was burning," and returned around four in the morning. He said the Ring camera device at his home was offline, so he believed he'd "come home to ashes." He found the home was still standing, and said he believed it was saved by firefighters' efforts to save a nearby school.

"A lot of people are praying for us, but I know there's people that other people are praying for and they weren't so lucky," he said. "It really hits you hard."

Michael said the tight-knit neighborhood will have to work together to recover. He said he had already been able to text some neighbors to let them know what condition their homes were in.

"I guess calamity brings people together, right?" he told CBS News Los Angeles.  

CBS News national correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti posted a video online showing the devastation in Pacific Palisades, which is a residential neighborhood in Los Angeles.

Images of the area before the fire show a bustling street lined with shops and palm trees. Vigliotti's video showed destroyed structures and some flames still burning amid the charred wreckage.

"This is what's left," Vigliotti wrote on social media, noting that while the mall survived, "most everything else is gone."  

Vigliotti said the damage is "beyond comprehension." He also said, while reporting on-air, that he is "overwhelmed by the scale of loss."

"Many people are going to return to homes that were lost," Vigliotti said.

CBS News Los Angeles' Mark Liu said the video shows the extent of the spread of the wildfires, even in areas like Pacific Palisades, which are not usually threatened by wildfires. The site is thousands of feet from the Palisade Fires' fire line, but hurricane-force winds have carried embers "so far through these communities," Liu said.

"Everyone needs to know that they are in danger because of these embers that are blowing from these just once-in-a-decade winds that are coming through our area, and they're still blowing," Liu said.

Firefighters are coming from Nevada, Oregon and Washington to support the fight against multiple wildfires in Southern California, Los Angeles County Fire Department chief Anthony Marrone said.

CBS News Los Angeles previously reported that firefighters from Arizona and northern California were coming to support the firefighting efforts. The Los Angeles Fire Department asked its firefighters to call and report their availability to assist in firefighting efforts. It's the first time such a call has been put out in 19 years, CBS News Los Angeles reported. 

California officials are urging the state's residents to pay attention to evacuation orders and warnings.

Those who aren't under evacuation orders but are under evacuation warnings should be prepared to leave at any time, officials said. Those who will need more time to evacuate should leave immediately, they said.

"You need to be prepared," Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news briefing on Wednesday. "If you are in a warning area, make sure you have your essentials; Your important paperwork, your medications, things that you can take, your phone charger, to survive for at least a week. But if you are told to evacuate and given an order, there is nothing worth your life."

"Please listen to the police and fire officials that are out there, and be prepared to evacuate," Luna added.  

CBS News Los Angeles reporter Joy Benedict was on the scene Wednesday in a residential area in Altadena, California – where black smoke billowed as flames raged.

"We're just watching this city burn, and it's absolutely devastating," Benedict said. 

The area is under a mandatory evacuation order because of the Eaton Fire. Vehicles could be seen driving on the road, navigating through the smoke near flames.

Benedict said people should not attempt to drive through the area. The roads are not blocked because fire officials do not have the resources to do so, she said, but cars could bar fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. 

"Do not come to check on your home, do not block roadways," she said, adding later that "if you are not familiar with how to handle yourself in a fire, you do not need to be here." 

Benedict said the scale of the destruction was beyond belief. Strong winds are blowing embers, and houses are burning quickly, she said. The fire is at 0% containment. Fire officials said during a news conference that multiple simultaneous blazes are pushing resources to their limit. 

At least 70,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate as wildfires threaten several areas across Los Angeles County, officials said Wednesday. That figure includes 30,000 residents ordered to evacuate near the Palisades Fire.

The fires threaten at least 28,000 structures.

CBS/AP 

Two arrests have been made for looting amid the raging wildfires in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna said at a news briefing Wednesday.

Luna did not give any more information on the arrests, such as when they were made and if the two people were arrested together or in separate locations.

"If you are thinking about coming into any of these areas to steal from our residents, I'm going to tell you something: you're going to be caught, you're going to be arrested, and you're going to be prosecuted," Luna said. "Don't do that."

Luna said the sheriff's office is aiding in fire efforts. He said a sheriff's department vehicle had been "lost to the fire," but that the deputy using the vehicle was OK.  

The Palisades Fire has destroyed 1,000 structures, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news conference Wednesday.

Extreme winds are challenging firefighters, according to a Cal Fire status report. Wind gusts are expected to continue through Tuesday. Thousands in the area are under evacuation orders or warnings, according to Cal Fire.

"Despite the severity of the conditions, our department remains fully committed to safeguarding lives and property," Los Angeles Fire Department fire chief Kristin Crowley said.

Two people have died amid the Eaton Fire, Los Angeles County Fire Department chief Anthony C. Marrone said in a news briefing Wednesday. 

Marrone said they were civilians and their causes of the deaths were unknown.

There have also been "a number of significant injuries" from the fire, Marrone said. 

The Palisades Fire, another blaze burning in the area, has also resulted in a "high number of significant injuries to those who did not evacuate," Marrone said. Firefighters have also sustained injuries, Marrone said, but did not elaborate. 

Over 100 structures have been destroyed in the Eaton Fire, which is zero percent contained and 2,227 acres.

CBS News' Jonathan Vigliotti reports that embers from the fire flames were being blown more than a mile. Those embers could spark new spotfires, Vigliotti reports.

"Simply put, this is a hellscape," Vigliotti said. "There are so many homes on fire it's unusual to see a home that is not."  Watch his report:

While the fires blazing in Los Angeles are not unusually large for the region, their specific locations, as well as strong winds, make them a threat.

An updating map from CBS News' data team shows the Palisades Fire area.

Readers can zoom in or out to see where the fire is. The map will be updated hourly with data from Cal Fire.

The Palisades Fire is the largest of the wildfires in Los Angeles.

Another fire has broken out in Los Angeles. The Woodley Fire started on Wednesday morning around 6 a.m. PST. 

Maps from Cal Fire show the fire is on the border of the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve and Woodley Park. The area runs along Interstate 405. Cal Fire warned that the fire is being driven south by strong winds and poses a threat of crossing Burbank Boulevard. 

The fire has burned about 75 acres, Cal Fire said. Crews are working to contain the blaze. 

An official in the Los Angeles area described the wildfires as unusual for California in January.

Lindsey Horvath, a Los Angeles County supervisor, recalled that record rainfall in February last year caused flooding and landslides.

"So this is incredibly unusual," Horvath said on "CBS Mornings." "We know that climate change has impacted our region."

While acknowledging the difficulties of leaving their homes, Horvath asked people to continue to follow evacuation orders, saying, "if we don't get people safely evacuated, it's not only a danger to the people who are living in those communities but also for the people who are on the frontlines." 

Maps from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, show areas that are under evacuation orders and warnings. Areas under mandatory evacuation orders are highlighted in red, and warnings are in yellow.

People in red areas are required by law to leave, and those areas are closed to the public.

There is a potential threat to life and/or property in yellow zones. People needing additional time to evacuate, and people with pets and livestock, are also advised to leave immediately if they are in yellow zones, according to Cal Fire. 

The latest Los Angeles Fire Department updates about evacuation orders can be found here. Cal Fire has updated information about evacuation orders and resources available for those affected. 

Sheila Kelliher, a Los Angeles County Fire Department captain, called the winds driving the wildfires "ferocious" and advised people who live in the areas around Los Angeles that are impacted to adhere to the evacuation warnings.

"It is hurricane-force winds and you can imagine trying to fight fire in those winds," Kelliher said on "CBS Mornings." "It is really incredibly challenging and volatile and unpredictable."

"Get out when those warnings come," she advised people who are affected. "Pack up, get ready to go. ... Sometimes as you can see the cars had to be left behind and a lot of times just even getting out on foot, you've got to get going."

She said fighting three fires simultaneously is a "big strain and stretch of resources."

"It takes a small village, a small city actually, to run each one of these fires," she added. 

Amid mandatory evacuation orders in Los Angeles, the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena is being used as an evacuation center for large animals, officials said on social media.

Small animals can be evacuated to the Pasadena Humane Society, according to the post. 

The annual Rose Bowl was played at the stadium just last week, on New Year's Day. The Ohio State Buckeyes beat the Oregon Ducks. 

Meteorologists at the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Service said in a post on X early Wednesday that, "Dangerous fire weather conditions are ongoing in southern California with the most extreme conditions expected this morning."

They added that, "Winds should gradually weaken somewhat through the day, but critical fire weather conditions are expected to persist into Thursday."

Firefighters had their hands full, with flames from three wildfires being fanned by those winds.

The Screen Actors Guild says it canceled its live announcement of nominations for this year's SAG Awards "due to the wildfires and adverse wind conditions in Los Angeles."

The guild says it was observing "an abundance of caution for the safety of our presenters, guests, and staff."

Instead, nominations were unveiled Wednesday morning in a press release and the SAG Awards website.

The awards, the guild's 31st annual, are scheduled to be handed out on Feb. 23.  

Footage from the scene of the Eaton Fire showed some homeowners running through the streets while leading horses by hand, with flames burning on the hillsides behind them.

Another video showed at least one home with flames emitting from the roof. Firefighters say that it is one of multiple homes burning.

- Dean Fioresi, Matthew Rodriguez

The intense Santa Ana winds and a trio of large wildfires caused power outages for more than 200,000 homes and businesses in Los Angeles County Tuesday night and early Wedsnesday. 

Ahead of the strong storm, officials predicted this weather will "likely be the most destructive windstorm seen since 2011."

As of 12:30 a.m., the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power had roughly 127,000 customers without power. Crews had restored utilities to 24,400 residents earlier in the day. For perspective, LADWP provides electricity to 1.5 million residences. 

Southern California Edison, which provides electricity to LA County residents outside of city limits, reported that more than 52,000 customers without power as of midnight. The largest outage was centered in Duarte with 7,930 residents without electricity at around 10 p.m. 

Ahead of the windstorm, SoCal Edison said it was considering public safety shutoff for roughly 409,000 Southern California residents, mainly in Riverside and Los Angeles counties. An estimated 123,400 and 113,735 customers were expected to be affected in the respective areas.

Firefighting resources across the Los Angeles region have already been stretched so thin that the L.A. Fire Department asked all off-duty firefighters to call in to their supervisors to report on whether they're available to assist in the firefight.

LAFD firefighter Margaret Stewart said it's the first time in 19 years the department has done that.

The strong winds forced officials to ground all aircraft, including water-dropping helicopters and flame-retardant planes.

But in an overnight post on X, Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state "has deployed 1400+ firefighting personnel & hundreds of prepositioned assets to combat these unprecedented fires in LA. Emergency officials, firefighters, and first responders are all hands on deck through the night to do everything possible to protect lives."

And CBS Phoenix affiliate KPHO-TV reports that officials with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management say the state sent firefighting teams to Los Angeles to support local firefighters.

California has secured assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the Fire Management Assistance Grant for both the Palisades and Eaton Fires. The grants allow for local departments to apply for up to 75% reimbursement of expenses incurred fighting the flames. 

- Dean Fioresi, Matthew Rodriguez, Brian Dakss

Firefighters are battling yet another brush fire — one that broke out in Sylmar, the northern-most neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles. It's been dubbed the Hurst Fire, CBS Los Angeles reports.

It was first reported shortly after 10 p.m. local time behind the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Crews said the flames were moving rapidly and quickly charred about 100 acres of brush. California Highway Patrol officers at the scene said an entire mountainside appeared to be burning.

Later, CalFire reported that it had spread across 500 acres.

Some evacuation orders were issued.

A 25-year-old female firefighter battling the Palisades Fire suffered a serious head injury at about 8:30 p.m. local time, according to Capt. Erik Scott, a spokesperson for the L.A. Fire Department. It wasn't clear how it happened. She was treated at the scene, then brought to a hospital for evaluation, Scott said.

About a half-hour later, Scott said, "multiple burn victims were reported walking toward a nearby restaurant." Medical personnel were dispatched to treat the victims at the scene.

In a statement late Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris, a California native, said that her "heart goes out to all those being impacted by the devasting wildfires in Southern California."

Harris said that "as a proud daughter of California, I know the damage that wildfires have on our neighbors and communities. I also know that the impact is often felt long after the fire is contained. As we respond and as Californians recover, I will ensure that our administration is in constant contact with state and local officials."

Harris and her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, have a home in the Westside Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood, which is located about 5 miles east of Pacific Palisades. 

Dozens of seniors were evacuated from a Pasadena assisted living center after the Eaton Fire got within about a block of their facility.

The residents of the Terraces at Park Marino, many in wheelchairs and on gurneys, were huddled together in the dark, windy parking lot of a 7-Eleven to escape the flames.

A supervisor told CBS News that about 95 residents had been evacuated. It was unclear where the seniors would be taken. 

The exact extent of the devastation from the Palisades Fire is still unknown, but footage from on the ground gives an idea of its potential scope.

CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti captured apocalyptic images from one Pacific Palisades neighborhood, where home after home was engulfed in flames.

"The firefighters here, they're not trying to save these structures, they're trying to prevent these flames from jumping to other neighborhoods," Vigliotti reported Tuesday night. "You see all these embers. In some cases, they're being carried more than a mile in advance of these source flames, lighting other homes on fire."

The city of Santa Monica announced mandatory evacuation orders Tuesday night for a huge swath of the city because of the Palisades Fire. 

"City of Santa Monica is issuing an Evacuation Order for all areas of the city north of San Vicente," the city said in a post to social media. "Evacuation Order: Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW. The area is closed to public access."

Santa Monica, a coastal city with a population of about 90,000, is located between Malibu and Los Angeles, and just to the west of Pacific Palisades.   

Los Angeles County firefighters Tuesday night were battling a second brush fire with a large potential for growth in the Eaton Canyon area near Altadena.   

The Eaton Fire was first reported at around 6:40 p.m. Pacific Time in the area above Altadena. Evacuation orders had been issued for portions of Altadena and nearby Pasadena. 

Altadena is located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, on the border of the Angeles National Forest. The fire had scorched at least 400 acres, the U.S. Forest Service reported. Later, the total had grown to 1,000 acres, CalFire said.

Firefighting resources across the region have already been stretched thin to the point that the city of L.A. Fire Department requested that all off-duty firefighters call in to their supervisors to report if they're available to assist in the firefight.   

Read more here.

President Biden announced Tuesday night that is monitoring the wildfire activity in Southern California.

"I am being frequently briefed on the wildfires in west Los Angeles. My team and I are in touch with state and local officials, and I have offered any federal assistance that is needed to help suppress the terrible Pacific Palisades fire," Mr. Biden said in a statement.

The president added that FEMA approved a "Fire Management Assistance Grant to support areas that are impacted and help reimburse the state of California for the immediate firefighting costs. I urge the residents of the Pacific Palisades and the surrounding areas of Los Angeles to stay vigilant and listen to local officials."

Mr. Biden also urged "the residents of the Pacific Palisades and the surrounding areas of Los Angeles to stay vigilant and listen to local officials."

As dangerous wildfires spread rapidly in Southern California, images of the blazes began to emerge. 

Evacuation orders for the Palisades Fire were expanded Tuesday night. The entire Pacific Palisades community was under an evacuation order, while Malibu and Calabasas were under a combination of mandatory and voluntary evacuations.  

All areas south of the 101 Freeway between Malibu Canyon and Topanga Canyon roads were either under mandatory or voluntary evacuation zones.

The latest evacuation map is here:

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency as the Pacific Palisades wildfire exploded in size, fueled by one of the strongest Santa Ana wind events to hit Southern California in the last decade. 

"This is a highly dangerous windstorm that's creating extreme fire risk — and we're not out of the woods. We're already seeing the destructive impacts with this fire in Pacific Palisades that grew rapidly in a matter of minutes," Newsom said in a statement Tuesday.

He urged Southern California residents to pay attention to local weather reports and follow guidance from emergency officials.

Read more here.

The number of structures damaged or destroyed by the Palisades Fire so far was unclear. 

However, CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti reported that at least six homes had been destroyed in one neighborhood, as CBS News captured footage of heavy flames, smoke and billowing ash. 

CBS News correspondent Carter Evans resides in one neighborhood that was under threat. 

"I'm in the back of this home, trying to help the firefighters, so they asked me for help, because he couldn't get over the gate," Evans said. "So I'm trying to get the flames out."

As the Pacific Palisades wildfire in Los Angeles quickly grew Tuesday afternoon amid a destructive windstorm, some fleeing residents stuck in gridlock were forced to abandon their cars as dangerous flames approached. 

Sunset Boulevard was jammed with cars as people tried to evacuate. Resident Marsha Horowitz was walking down Sunset with her dog and said the fire department told people to get out of their cars. "The fire came right down to the road, and the fire department came up and said 'get out of your cars now,' because the fire was right up against the cars," she said. 

"We're all freaked out everywhere, all shaking," Pacific Palisades resident Sue told CBS Los Angeles. "The fire department have been the most amazing humans. They hugged us and said don't worry we'll take care of you. They have been amazing." She estimated winds earlier at 50 mph.   

Read more here.

The famous Getty Villa, a museum located near the Los Angeles coast in Pacific Palisades, announced that it will remain closed through at least early next week as a wildfire tears through the area. 

"We swiftly closed the Villa to non-emergency staff, and the site is closed to the public on Tuesdays. The Getty Villa will remain closed at least through Monday, January 13," J. Paul Getty Trust President Katherine Fleming said. "We, of course, are very concerned for our neighbors in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and the surrounding areas."  

Fleming said the facility utilized its irrigation system throughout the day and that the galleries and collections have measures to protect them from the smoke.   

Read more here.

The growth of the brush fire burning in Pacific Palisades has been aided by high winds that weather officials have called "life-threatening and destructive," with isolated wind gusts potentially reaching up to 100 miles per hour in some areas.

The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning through Wednesday evening for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. 

The Santa Ana wind event is expected to be the worst the region has seen in more than a decade, according to the National Weather Service. 

Read more here.