Science

Firefighters are racing to contain three active wildfires in Los Angeles County as Santa Ana winds are forecasted to return Monday morning. The fires have scorched 40,000 acres, forced the evacuation of at least 150,000 residents, and claimed 24 lives. Residents are expressing outrage at far-left Democratic politicians in the county and state, blaming them for negligence in the spread of the Palisades Fire. At the same time, AP News tried to provide cover for Democrats and blame the fire’s spread on ‘climate change.’ 

The National Weather Service has issued “Particularly Dangerous Situation” red flag warnings for the Ventura and Los Angeles counties through Wednesday. Gusts are expected to be between 50 and 65 mph, with dry air that will worsen conditions for firefighters and likely lead to more evacuations. 

There are currently three fires burning (list courtesy of LA Times): 

Palisades Fire:

Burned 23,713 acres and numerous homes, businesses and landmarks in Pacific Palisades and westward along Pacific Coast Highway, toward Malibu. As of late Sunday, the fire was 13% contained. Many parts of Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Santa Monica, Calabasas, Brentwood and Encino are under evacuation orders or warnings. More than 12,000 structures remain threatened. Officials estimate that more than 5,300 structures, including many homes, have been damaged or destroyed.

Eaton Fire:

Burned 14,117 acres and many structures in Altadena and Pasadena. Additional evacuation orders were mandated Thursday afternoon when fire climbed toward Mt. Wilson. Other mandatory evacuations were lifted as city officials notified residents in Glenoaks Canyon and Chevy Chase Canyon that it was safe to return to their homes. As of 8 p.m. Sunday, the fire remained 27% contained. Officials say 7,000 structures have been burned in the fire.

Hurst Fire:

Burned 779 acres in the area around Sylmar. Evacuation orders have been lifted. As of Sunday night, the fire was 89% contained, according to Cal Fire.

Fire Map (LA Times):

Latest Zero Hedge headlines:

• 10 Dead, 10,000 Structures Burned In Los Angeles Area Inferno As Fire Damage Could Exceed $150 Billion

• “Do Not Panic Buy”: Officials Urge Calm As LA Fire Crisis Disrupts Main Fuel Pipeline To Las Vegas

• “We’re Not Screwing Around”: LA Sheriff Declares Curfew Amid Arson & Looting Chaos

• California-Based Insurer Crashes Amid Billions In LA Area Fire-Damage Losses

• Arson Threats A “Major Issue” In Wildfire-Ravaged Los Angeles County

• California Imposes 1-Year Insurance Cancellation Freeze In Areas Ravaged By Wildfires

• Palisades Fire Crisis Intensifies Ahead Of Windstorm Event Early Next Week

• Three Military Humvees, Machine Gun Mounts, Stolen Outside Of Los Angeles

• Palisades Fire Threatens New Upscale Communities As Santa Ana Winds Return

• California’s Insurance Crisis Just Got A Whole Lot Worse

• AP News Heavily Ratioed For Blaming Palisades Fire On Climate Change

• Why Was Pacific Palisades Reservoir Empty? It Gets Worse…

Latest LA Times headlines:

• Increasing winds bring potential for ‘explosive fire growth’ across LA County this week

• Death toll from Palisades and Eaton fires climbs to 24. 

• Newsom to deploy an additional 1,000 National Guard members to LA.

• Investigators study Eaton Canyon electrical tower area as possible origin of Altadena fire

On Sunday, Captain Andrew Cruz from the LA County Sheriff’s Incident Management Team said a curfew in the fire zones remains in place. 

“Nightside, we continue to support the efforts here at the Palisades Fire with 104 sworn personnel plus 16 National Guard soldiers,” Cruz said.

Looters were out in force over the weekend, ransacking mansions in the Palisades area despite police and National Guard deterrence.

🚨 JUST IN: Photos of the FAKE “firefighter” arrested in Los Angeles for burglarizing evacuated homes have been released.

The looter was with another man, who was also arrested.

His identity has not yet been released.

(via Eric Fox) https://t.co/b3UavNSfFs pic.twitter.com/32JKV93YOu

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 13, 2025

Santa Monica just released mugshots of the fire looters. Throw away the keys. pic.twitter.com/QHSG96IzMI

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 13, 2025

“Yes. Please be careful in some areas, as there is non-zero risk of armed looters. Cybertruck side panels are bulletproof to subsonic projectiles (handguns, shotgun & Tommy gun), but the glass is not, so make sure to duck if you see anyone wielding a gun. This is not fiction,” Elon Musk wrote on X. He noted earlier, “We are going to position Cybertrucks with Starlinks and free WiFi in a grid pattern in the areas that most need it in the greater LA/Malibu area.” 

Yes. Please be careful in some areas, as there is non-zero risk of armed looters.

Cybertruck side panels are bulletproof to subsonic projectiles (handguns, shotgun & Tommy gun), but the glass is not, so make sure to duck if you see anyone wielding a gun.

This is not fiction. https://t.co/pISxsxLLj6

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 12, 2025

My friend who is working at the Palisades Command Center for the fire just texted me this:@elonmusk was at Basecamp earlier today handing out Starlinks and meeting everyone, as well as powering everything with Cybertruck.

Tesla and Elon are helping a ton during the LA fires. pic.twitter.com/YB349L6UY9

— Zack (@BLKMDL3) January 13, 2025

Palisades transformed into an inferno. 

Los Angeles looks like an apocalypse pic.twitter.com/Xod6Dzw4kU

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 12, 2025

The debate over gross negligence centers on why the Palisades Reservoir was not filled before the fire.

“This was supposed to be the water to put out the Palisades fire.”

The FP’s Austyn Jeffs visits the Santa Ynez Reservoir that has reportedly been empty since February 2024. pic.twitter.com/DwO5OrYhWk

— The Free Press (@TheFP) January 11, 2025

“Incompetence in the limit is indistinguishable from sabotage,” Musk wrote on X. He’s referring to LA Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom. There’s a lot of controversy about fire budget cuts and the mismanagement of resources. 

Incompetence in the limit is indistinguishable from sabotage

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 11, 2025

For the households that lost everything, it’s time to hold the radical leftist politicians in charge accountable. This is unacceptable.