LA wildfires: Kenneth fire, latest disaster ravaging LA, spreads across 960 acres within hours | What we know

The Kenneth fire, which erupted on Thursday, has engulfed 960 acres, threatening homes in Calabases.

Latest in the series of devastating wildfires erupting across and around Los Angeles in US’ California is the Kenneth fire which broke out on Thursday afternoon and spread rapidly through the night. The fire, which started at Los Angeles and Ventura counties’ border, has engulfed 960 acres of area, said a Los Angeles Times report. Several homes in posh Calabases and Hidden Hills areas are at the risk of burning, the report added.

Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, January 9, 2025.(AP)

The fire is still rapidly spreading through open spaces amid continued efforts by firefighters on the scene to contain it, said the report.

The fire called for urgent evacuation orders. However, Los Angeles county sent a countywide evacuation order to around 9.6 million people erroneously while it was meant only for areas near the Kenneth fire, reported news agency Reuters. The corrected order has been sent.

California Governor shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) of a chopper transporting water to douse the Kenneth fire. He captioned the post, “First responders are rapidly responding to the #KennethFire — transporting water from Pepperdine University's Recycled Water Irrigation Reservoir via helicopter to firefighters on the ground in Calabasas. Multiple water refills in just a matter of minutes.”

“We are expecting this fire to rapidly spread due to high winds,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, according to a report by news agency Associated Press.

Damage so far

So far, ten people have lost their lives to the many wildfires that have erupted across the state of California in the last three days and over 10,000 structures, including homes, apartment buildings, offices and more have been destroyed, said the AP report.

The unabated wildfires have burned entire neighbourhoods down to charred timbers, show devastating and apocalyptic visuals from the spot. Satellite pictures from LA before and after the wildfires paint a sorry picture of the extent of the damage caused.