At least five dead as L.A. County fires displace people

Update 3:15 p.m. 

• At least five people have been killed in the Eaton Fire, reported Los Angels County Sheriff Robert Luna
• Palisades Fire has stretched to 15,832 acres, according to incident commanders
• President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration in
  response to the wildfires, according to CA governor's office

At least two people have been killed, thousands of acres are burning, hundreds of homes have been lost and many people are injured due to three fast-moving fires in Pacific Palisades, Altadena/Pasadena, and Sylmar in Los Angeles County. There is zero percent containment and aircrafts were grounded and unable to drop water Tuesday night due to high winds.  

Pacific Palisades fire

Authorities said more than 11,000 acres have burned in the Pacific Palisades fire and it continues to grow. There is still no percentage of containment. An estimated 1,000 structures were destroyed, and the cause of the fire is unknown, said LA County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone during a press conference Wednesday morning.

“No reported fatalities and a high number of significant injuries to residents who did not evacuate,” Marrone said. 

There are more than 1,400 firefighters responding to the fire and wind gusts are over 80 miles per hour. One firefighter was reported injured and multiple people burned. More than 200,000 homes are without power.

While trees and vegetation on the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades burned, Getty structures have been unaffected, said Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust. 

“Thankfully, both staff and the collections are safe,” she said in a statement, adding that a small team of Getty staff has remained on-site supporting emergency response efforts.

Eaton Fire

The Eaton Fire is located in both the Los Angeles National Forest, the Altadena area and Pasadena. Over 10,600 acres are burning, according to officials of Los Angeles National forest. More than 100 structures have been destroyed and the fire continues to grow with 0% containment. 

“We have over 500 personnel assigned and unfortunately, we have two reported fatalities to civilians unknown cause at this time, and we do have a number of significant injuries,” said Marrone.

While the first respondents were fighting the Pacific Palisades fire, at 6:20 p.m. the Eaton fire was reported in Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive in the hills above Altadena, according to Cal Fire.

The Eaton Canyon area forced widespread evacuations and school closures. The cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation. 

Sylmar Hearst fire

A third fire was reported in the Sylmar area in Los Angeles, now identified as the Hearst fire. It started Tuesday night at about 10:10 p.m. and prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents. As of Wednesday morning, the Hearst fire has burned more than 700 acres and more than 44,000 people are under evacuation orders. There is no containment. 

Kristin Crowley, fire chief of Los Angeles City Fire Department, said these fires have stretched the capacity of emergency services to their maximum limits. 

She said while the department is fighting the Pacific Palisades and Hearst fires they are also responding to 911 calls.

“Our department has responded to 3,624 911 calls for service, and to put that in perspective, our averages are just under 1,500 calls in a 24-hour period,” she said. “Over the last 24 hours we have also responded to an additional 32 structure fires within the city, we’ve treated and transported an extensive number of medical emergencies while extending our normal 650 transports to the local hospitals.”

Crowley said Tuesday night at around 7:30 p.m. all aircraft were grounded due to high winds but are expected to resume their water drops in acreage mapping today when weather permits. She said they are committed to focusing on saving lives and protecting property when possible. 

Los Angeles County Chief Robert Luna said they are working closely with federal and local authorities. He said there are several hundred sheriff department personnel deputies working to evacuate residents in danger, assist with road closures and respond to multiple missions that are given to them and change periodically. 

The Altadena Sheriff's Station was evacuated because it also caught fire and at least one sheriff’s car patrol was burned, but the officer driving it is safe.

Luna emphasized that the sheriff deputies are making sure that no one loots or steals from residents who are already being impacted. 

“And I'm sad to report, we made two arrests this morning for looting already,” Luna said. “So 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.”

A fourth fire at the Sepulveda Basin was reported Wednesday morning. The fire was initially reported at 75 acres just before 4 a.m. at a park located near the Ventura 101 freeway and San Diego 405 freeway, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. 

As of 11 a.m., the fire had stretched to 30 acres, with 0% containment. No reports of injuries or damage. 

Authorities informed about 100 LAUSD schools closed Wednesday and will likely be closed Thursday due to the hazardous air quality. 

Governor Gavin Newsom said California was able to secure Fire Management Assistance grants from FEMA to help combat the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires.