Raging wildfires that broke out in various regions of Los Angeles, CA, Tuesday and Wednesday are spreading across the region due to extreme winds, causing historic destruction of homes and displacing thousands of people.
Follow Breitbart News for live coverage of this breaking news story. A live 3D incident map can be found here. All times eastern unless otherwise noted.
2:51 PM PT — The sky over large parts of Los Angeles today have been an ominous orange smog blotting out the sun even in areas that have not directly effected by the fires.
Thick heavy smoke from wildfires shrouds downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
2:43 PM PT — Due to the Palisades fire, the city of Santa Monica has expanded evacuation orders for residents in the area north of Montana Avenue and west of 11th Street who have been advised to leave the area immediately. The evacuation warning remains in place for the areas north of Wilshire Boulevard and west of 10th Street.
4:54 PM — KTLA: Planet Fitness opens its facilities to displaced L.A. residents and first responders.
“The fitness chain is providing people free access to locker rooms, showers, HydroMassage loungers, electrical outlets, and Wi-Fi.”
4:52 PM — The Pacific Palisades wildfire is the most destructive in L.A. history, per AP:
4:50 PM — Breitbart News reporter Paul Bois:
4:45 PM — Newsom-Biden lovefest.
4:38 PM — Mayor Karen Bass has returned from Africa and is touting her presence on the ground with first responders.
4:36 PM — Palisades Fire now over 15,000 acres.
4:01 PM — Compelling eyewitness videos of the L.A. wildfires and survivors reacting to their neighborhoods’ destruction:
3:46 PM — Breitbart senior editor-at-large Joel Pollak capturing footage from affected areas:
3:42 PM — State data no longer lists the Tyler Fire as active, but another nascent blaze is listed in Ventura County: the “Olivas Fire.” All five wildfires are currently at 0% containment.
3:31 PM — Officials warn of unsafe air quality due to wildfire smoke, with Mayor Bass warning residents to stay indoors and wear masks.
From FOX 11:
AirNow.gov has marked air quality all around Los Angeles as “hazardous,” the worst possible rating for air quality. It means just about everyone could experience problems from breathing the air.
Hazardous air quality levels are indexed at 300 or higher.
…
A normal or “good” air quality is signaled by an index of 0-50, according to AirNow.gov.
3:21 PM — The Palisades fire has exploded to nearly 12,000 acres in the past few hours, according to state data.
3:14 PM — Actor James Woods gets emotional recounting a story of his wife’s niece offering up her piggy bank to help rebuild their home.
3:12 PM — Footage shows devastation in a Malibu neighborhood.
2:59 PM — Footage of President Biden and Governor Newsom meeting with firefighters:
2:46 PM — Local news outlets catch Pasadena and Altadena homes going up in flames during live shots.
2:45 PM — Trump with more banter.
2:35 PM — President Joe Biden is in Los Angeles now and will reportedly visit Santa Monica Fire Station #5 with First Lady Jill Biden.
2:32 PM — Video confirmation of Palisades fire hydrants running out of water:
2:05 PM — Scenes of charred skeleton homes left behind by the Eaton Fire.
1:53 PM — The Eaton Fire now covers over 10,000 acres, according to state data.
1:29 PM — According to CAL FIRE, The Tyler Fire near Coachella is now 50% contained. All others are still at 0% containment.
1:24 PM — More Hollywood events canceled, including the premiere of Pamela Anderson’s awards-season comeback vehicle The Last Showgirl.
12:29 PM — Striking photos from the Associated Press.
A resident of a senior center is evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A resident of a senior center is evacuated. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A bike rider stops to check out as large dark plume of smoke passes over the beach from a wildfire from Pacific Palisades, in Santa Monica. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Will Adams watches as flames from the Palisades Fire close in on his property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood . (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter jumps over a fence while fighting the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire as it burns multiple structures. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Bike riders make their way along the coast as large dark plume of smoke passes over the beach from a wildfire from Pacific Palisades. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
12:10 PM — Officials at L.A. press conference say Mayor Bass is currently in Texas on her way back to Los Angeles from her Ghana trip.
12:14 PM — L.A. County Fire Chief says the crisis is too large for its current manpower: “We don’t have enough fire personnel in L.A. County between all of the departments to handle this.”
11:46 AM — Two deaths reported in the Eaton Fire. From KTLA:
L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone confirmed at a press conference Wednesday morning that two civilians died in the Eaton Fire. Their causes of death were not immediately known.
“A number” of significant injuries have been reported.
Over 500 personnel have been assigned to fight the blaze, which has destroyed over 100 structures, Chief Marrone said.
11:44 AM — President-elect Donald Trump says Gov. Gavin “Newscum” is to blame for the current crisis by restricting water distribution in favor of environmentalists’ concerns.
11:16 AM — Universal Studios closes its Hollywood theme park.
11:15 AM — Footage of devastation in Pacific Palisades Wednesday morning.
11:11 AM — Local officials are holding a press conference now.
11:04 AM — Fire station in Altadena faces critical danger, according to officials speaking on emergency frequencies.
10:58 AM — Video shows Governor Gavin Newsom thanking Mayor Karen Bass — who is currently in Ghana — on Tuesday.
“Thank you to Mayor Bass, who was on the phone immediately this morning, making sure — even in abstentia — that she’s here organizing everything she can to make sure we’re successful.”
10:54 AM — Skies are darkened by smoke from the Eaton Fire.
10:50 AM — A Los Angeles resident captured video of downed power lines sparking against trees Tuesday night.
10:40 AM — Officials identify five different wildfires that are “0% contained.”
10:25 AM — Local resident says the scene is “like driving through hell itself.”
10:21 AM — Library in Pacific Palisades has burned down.
10:14 AM — New wire photos of Tuesday night’s chaos:
Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images
David McNew/Getty Images
10:04 AM — Local view of the Eaton Fire Wednesday morning.
9:51 AM — Information is scant on casualties, but the LAFD has reported one young firefighter was injured and hospitalized, per ABC7:
A 25-year-old female firefighter sustained a serious head injury in the line of duty as crews continued to battle the growing Palisades Fire, according to Erik Scott, public information officer for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The incident happened at approximately 8:30 p.m. She received immediate treatment at the scene and was transported to a local hospital.
9:34 AM — The I-210 freeway has been shut down in both directions due to the Hurst Fire in Sylmar.
9:29 AM — Elon Musk, who is extricating several of his businesses from California, blames “nonsense regulations” in the state for multiplying the damage and loss of life when fires break out.
9:23 AM — A fourth blaze, dubbed the Tyler Fire, started around 6:24 AM in Coachella, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
9:11 AM — A third concurrent wildfire, the Hurst Fire in Sylmar, is currently covering around 500 acres of land, according to FOX 11.
9:07 AM — Local news reporter estimates over 100 homes destroyed in a second blaze, the Eaton Fire in L.A.’s Altadena area.
8:54 AM — Pasadena Jewish Temple has burned down.
8:41 AM — Viral footage from local news shows residents evacuating horses from the area.
8:35 AM — The Pacific Palisades disaster has renewed attention on the identity politics of Kristin Crowley, the first woman (and the first queer woman) to serve as LAFD Fire Chief. Crowley was sworn in to her post in March of 2022, and she and Mayor Eric Garcetti established a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Bureau in January 2023.
8:30 AM — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is currently absent from her city, nation, and continent. Via Breitbart News:
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass spent Tuesday in Africa as part of a taxpayer-funded delegation attending the inauguration of John Dramani Mahama as Ghana’s president. The Democrat was there as her city battled wildfires and thousands of residents fled for their lives.
8:28 AM — The Screen Actors Guild cancels a live announcement of nominees for its annual awards show, and several film premieres have also been postponed. Via Breitbart News:
Hollywood studios cancelled film premieres and actor award nominations on Tuesday night as wild winds drove fires across Los Angeles and tens of thousands of resident were forced to flee for their lives.
Leading the way was Amazon MGM Studios which cancelled the planned premiere of Unstoppable, starring Jennifer Lopez… Wolf Man, starring Julia Garner and produced by Ryan Gosling, was also called off.
…
After canceling the debut of Better Man, Paramount also nixed the Wednesday night premiere of their new medical drama The Pitt.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards nominations live announcement was also dropped due to the Pacific Palisades fire.
Full story here.
8:23 AM — Businessman and former L.A. mayoral candidate Rick Caruso says the Pacific Palisades area has no water in the hydrants at the moment, accusing the local government of mismanaging resources like a “third-world country.”
8:15 AM — Gavin Newsom surveys the damage, via the Associated Press:
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A wildfire whipped up by extreme winds swept through a Los Angeles hillside dotted with celebrity residences Tuesday, burning homes in Pacific Palisades and prompting evacuation orders for tens of thousands. In the frantic haste to get to safety, roadways were clogged and scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases.
The traffic jam on Palisades Drive prevented emergency vehicles from getting through and a bulldozer was brought in to push the abandoned cars to the side and create a path, according to the LA Fire Department.
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.”
Read more here.
Originally Posted At www.breitbart.com