California fire: Death toll rises to 10, officials say

Los Angeles County fire chief Anthony C Marrone said that while no fatalities have been reported from the LA wildfires so far, there have been many cases of "significant injuries to residents who did not evacuate".

Vice President Kamala Harris' Los Angeles home was put under an evacuation order on Thursday as the fast-moving wildfire forced thousands of people across southern California to flee their homes.

Harris' spokesperson Ernesto Apreza, in a statement cited by CNN, said, “Last night, the Vice President’s neighborhood in Los Angeles was put under an evacuation order. No one was in her home at the time. She and the Second Gentleman are praying for the safety of their fellow Californians, the heroic first responders, and Secret Service personnel."

“The Vice President and President continue to closely monitor the wildfires, remain in touch with state and local officials, and have offered any federal assistance that is needed to help respond and recover from this terrible disaster," Apreza added.

A state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection chief told CNN that the wildfires that ripped through the Pacific Palisades have left an "apocalyptic" scene in Los Angeles.

“Talking to the firefighters out here on the line, they’re exhausted. You can see it in their eyes, but they’re not leaving here until they have relief, so with no relief, they’re going to keep fighting. They know they’re in it for the long haul,” Battalion Chief Brent Pascua was cited as saying.

According to the LA state's fire authority, the Tyler fire, which broke out a short while ago in Riverside County, has been 100 per cent contained.

As firefighters are battling the three wind-whipped wildfires in Los Angeles, a fourth wildfire has now erupted in the county, the LA fire department said.

The Woodley fire started in the Sepulveda Basin west of Van Nuys. Additionally, CAL Fire is also keeping watch on Tyler Fire, a small brush fire in the Riverside County, CNN reported.

According to the USDA Forest Service, the Eaton Fire burning in California's Altadena has grown to over 2,200 acres as firefighters continued to battle the blaze.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was in Southern California to attend the naming of a national monument by President Joe Biden, made a detour to the canyon to see “firsthand the impact of these swirling winds and the embers,” and he said he found “not a few — many structures already destroyed.” He later declared a state of emergency. Read more.

As the wildfires across Southern California continue to spread rapidly, Tesla CEO Elon Musk slammed the regulations in the county and said that these fires are easily avoidable.

Sharing a post about why US president-elect Donald Trump said that he would cut wildfire aid, Gauntlet AI CEO Austen Allred had said, "Trump said the federal government should not be paying emergency wildfire aid while California is refusing to do controlled burns and clean up forests in the name of environmentalism."

To this, Musk responded on X, "These fires are easily avoidable, but nonsense regulations in California prevent action being taken, so year after year homes burn down and more people die."

Eaton fire prompted the evacuation of the LA County Sheriff's Office station on Altadena Drive on Wednesday, the department said.

The personnel at the station were shifted to their sister station in Crescenta valley.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, responsible for developing and coordinating many of the space agency's unmanned exploration missions, is also included in the evacuation orders resulting from the Eaton fire, CNN reported.

As per LA County Sheriff's department, most of the JPL campus, managed by Caltech, is located in the neighbouring hillside city of La Canada Flintridge, which is also under a complete evacuation order.

Los Angeles' national weather service's official Ariel Cohen described the current wildfires blazing across the county to be "one of the worst situations that we have ever seen".

“Everyone needs to be thoughtful, thinking ahead, make sure you’re planning, … I’m pleading with you, if you get the evacuation order from emergency management, take it seriously and evacuate. Your life will depend on it," he told CNN.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass noted that hundreds of firefighters have been battling with the wildfires overnight, thanking them for "working tirelessly to respond and protect life and property".

California Professional Firefighters' union president Brian Rice has said that despite working round the clock firefighters have been unable to control the wildfires and this is because of the high speed wind.

With sustained winds of more than 40 mph and “gusts that are reported into the 60s, 70s and 80s, you’re not going to control that,” he was quoted as saying by CNN.

Rice further said that the firefighters are going to put in 24-48 hour shifts, but they are not going off the fire line anytime soon. “Everyone is at the mercy of the wind right now. And until we see a shift in the wind, or a drop in the wind, it’s just not going to let up," he added.

Brian Rice, head of California professional firefighters, has said that there have been no reported firefighter deaths after over 1,400 staff fought three separate blaze across Los Angeles.

“As far as firefighter injuries, we’re seeing the very typical things: strains, sprains, eye injuries, smoke inhalation," Rice was quoted as saying by CNN.

The union president of California Professional firefighters Brian Rice has urged tourists to not try and get a closer look at the wildfires across Southern California.

"If you don’t live in the area, don’t go sightseeing. The smoke is a toxic soup. It’s not just the brush that’s burning, but homes are burning. Homes contain plastics that are built from petrochemical compounds," Rice was quoted as saying by CNN.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has warned that the wildfire conditions across the city is expected to worsen amid the windstorm.

In a post on X, she said, "Our @LAFD and @LAPDHQ teams continue to work overnight to protect Angelenos affected by fires in L.A."

"Angelenos should be advised that the windstorm is expected to worsen through the morning and to heed local warnings, stay vigilant and stay safe. Red flag parking restrictions will remain in effect until further notice," she added.

The Los Angeles County Office of Education released a list of LA county schools that are closed for Wednesday, January 8.

• Alhambra Unified School District
• Arcadia Unified School District
• Azusa Unified School District
• Baldwin Park Unified School District
• Duarte Unified School District
• El Monte City School District
• Glendale unified School District
• La Canada Unified School District
• Los Vírgenes School District
• Monrovia Unified School District
• Mountain View School District
• Pasadena Unified School District
• Rosemead School District
• San Marino Unified School District
• Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District
• South Pasadena Unified School District
• Temple City Unified School District
• Valle Lindo School District

California's Attorney General Rob Banta had earlier warned people against price gouging amid the state of emergency over the wildfire spreading rapidly across Los Angeles.

He urged people to file a complaint with his office immediately if they witness such an act.

The punishment for price gouging is criminal prosecution resulting in one-year prison sentence or a fine of up to $10,000.

According to the latest data on the website of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL Fire), there are currently 35 wildfires and the blaze have burned 3,015 acres of land.

Additionally, a total of 8,587 emergency responses have been recorded by CAL Fire.

David Acuna, battalion chief and public information officer at CAL Fire told CNN, that new fires are constantly erupting across Southern California.

Acuna said that the battle against the fire in Palisades, Eaton and Hurst are only expected to intensify.

“Once the winds have died down and we’re able to secure some lines, and we have made sure that all the people are out of the way, then we can devote all of our resources towards containing –– and then eventually, completely extinguishing the fire," Acuna was quoted by CNN.

Fire chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Kristin Crowley, said that nearly 26,000 people in more than 10,000 households and more than 13,000 structures are under threat from the blaze.

Evacuation orders in the region are underway as scores of residents flee their homes on foot to protect themselves from the fast-moving wildfire.

The Rose Bowl sports stadium in Pasadena, Calif, has been picked as an evacuation site for large animals, offering shelter to pet owners seeking security of their horses and other livestock amid the Palisades wildfire in Los Angeles, the LA county sheriff's department was cited by CNN.

According to local TV station KTLA, following are the areas of the Eaton Canyon that are under mandatory evacuation orders:

1. East of Altadena Drive
2. Kinneloa Canyon Road
3. Outpost Lane
4. Glen Springs
5. Coolidge
6. Miranda
7. Roosevelt
8. Veranda
9. Kenclare
10. Foxridge
11. Canyon Close
12. Grand Oak
13. North of New York Drive
14. East of Altadena Drive
15. West of Sierra Madre Villa Avenue
16. North of Sierra Madre
17. East of Allen
18. West of Santa Anita Drive
19. In Arcadia – North of Orange Grove/Rosemead Boulevard; East of Lake Avenue; West of Michillinda Avenue

A new wildfire has erupted in the Eaton Canyon area near Altadena, prompting residents to evacuate as high winds added to the increased tensions in southern California, local LA television station KTLA reported.

David Acuna, battalion chief and public information officer with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL Fire), told CNN that there is no possibility of containing the blaze because of the presence of high winds.

He said that CAL is "mostly concerned with ensuring that all people get out of the area because life safety is the most important part, and we're helping people to plan so that their pets and livestock also have a safe shelter."