MORE lives will be claimed by the apocalyptic wildfires in Los Angeles that have already killed five and razed celebrity mansions in the historic Hollywood Hills, officials warn.
Dogs are combing through rubble and searching for bodies after the most devastating blaze in Los Angeles history left a massive 180,000 people displaced.
LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said areas of the city “look like a bomb was dropped in them” and expects the death toll to rise.
“This is a crisis,” he said in a conference Thursday.
A-listers like Paris Hilton, John Goodman, Miles Teller, Anthony Hopkins, and Billy Crystal have seen their homes reduced to smoldering rubble.
Celebrity haunts have been left as ghost towns as gusty winds and dry conditions have allowed the five major fires – named Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia, and Sunset – to quickly spread.
As the fires move throughout the city, critical communications towers are also being threatened by dangerous winds and flames, which could leave residents without cell service.
Donald Trump and LA locals have dubbed the fires “apocalyptic” with black smoke blocking out the sky and glowing red embers blowing across the city.
It comes as…
- Five people have died as uncontrolled wildfires engulf Los Angeles
- At least 179,000 have been evacuated and schools have closed
- Nearly 400,000 homes are left without power as over 2,000 buildings destroyed and 30,000 acres burned
- Firefighters are “maxed out” and reportedly running out of water
- Harrowing footage shows the city up in flames
- Celebrity homes have been torched, including A-listers like Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, and Anthony Hopkins
- Joe Biden slammed for announcing granddaughter’s baby news during LA fire presser
The Palisades fire is the most destructive in Los Angeles’s history and has burned more than 17,000 acres, according to Cal Fire.
Parts of Sunset Boulevard have been torched in that fire leaving one of the most iconic streets in the world in rubble and buildings gutted.
Hollywood Boulevard, which includes the Walk of Fame and the silver screen’s most famous cinemas, is under evacuation orders.
Most of those blazes started Tuesday, but new fires continue to start with a blaze in Studio City being extinguished.
Five people died in the Eaton fire that is burning in Altadena and Pasadena as apocalyptic scenes have seen that inferno rip through homes.
Some 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate from that fire – which is burning nearer denser suburbs than the Palisades blaze.
And at least 20 people have been arrested for suspected looting as thieves target homes in the wake of the Hollywood Hills and Pacific Palisades fires.
Newly elected DA Nathan Hochman had a stern warning to those who continue to loot.
“These acts are despicable,” he said during a Thursday morning press conference, urging thieves to stop looting, internet crimes, and any other behavior targeting victims of the fires.
“Do not expect anything [other] than maximal punishment.”
The Sunset fire is burning in the Hollywood Hills and is beginning to threaten iconic locations like the Hollywood sign and the Hollywood Bowl.
Residents of the Hollywood Hills whose properties are at risk include Leonardo DiCaprio, Lady Gaga, and Quentin Tarantino.
Some 7,500 desperate firefighters are bravely trying to contain the fires – but the biggest remains at zero percent contained.
Two water companies have told residents in Altadena to not drink tap water and to even not treat it by boiling it because of possible contamination.
Santa Monica has declared a curfew from sunset to sunrise for the part of the city under mandatory evacuation.
A “high number of significant injuries” have also been caused by burns, but it is not clear what exactly that figure is yet.
Air quality has plummeted across the city to a hazardous level with Altadena currently seeing worse air than New Delhi.
Celebrities lose homes to wildfires
The wildfires haven’t spared the homes of the rich and famous with Hollywood A-listers tragically seeing their houses turned to smouldering rubble.
Those who have had their homes burned down include:
- John Goodman
- Anthony Hopkins
- Paris Hilton
- Leighton Meester and Adam Brody
- Billy Crystal
- Miles Teller
- Eugene Levy
- Anna Faris
- Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag
- James Woods
- Hunter Biden
Other celebrities have been forced to flee their homes after evacuation orders were issued around the Palisades fire and the Sunset fire.
They include:
- Mark Hamill
- Mandy Moore
- Tom Hanks
- Reese Witherspoon
- Ben Affleck
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristen Crowley said: “I can tell you we’re throwing all of our available resources at it as we speak. I am seeing active water drops as we speak.”
People have been pulled from burning buildings as reckless residents refuse to leave despite clear warnings from officials to do so.
Aerial bombardment of the fires restarted after winds were too strong late on Tuesday night.
But, dry conditions are continuing to push the exhausted firefighters to the limit with hurricane-force winds expected to last for days.
City manager Miguel Marquez called the past 22 hours “brutal,” adding that people had “put their own lives at risk to save others”.
He said police officers have been “door to door” evacuating those still in their homes which has saved lives – calling their efforts “heroic.”
“We will not relent, we will heal, we will rebuild,” he stressed.
Three people have been arrested for allegedly looting in fire-hit areas, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
TV star Ricki Lake heartbroken over lost home
Talkshow host Ricki Lake has shared her heartbreak after the Palisades fire burnt down her home in Malibu.
She shared 20 touching photos of her “heaven on earth” before it had burnt down in an Instagram post.
She wrote: “It’s all gone.
“I can’t believe I am typing these words.
“After a valiant and brave effort by our friend and hero @kirbykotler_ Ross and I lost our dream home.
“This description ‘dream home’ doesn’t suffice.
“It was our heaven on earth.
“The place where we planned to grow old together.
“We never took our heavenly spot on the bluff overlooking our beloved malibu for granted, not even for one second.
“I shared our sunset views almost daily with all of you.
“This loss is immeasurable.
“It’s the spot where we got married 3 years ago.
“I grieve along with all of those suffering during this apocalyptic event.
“Praying for all of my neighbors, my friends, my community, the animals, the firefighters and first responders.
“More to share soon of how we escaped with Dolly and not much else.
“For now I grieve.”
Over 30,000 acres across Los Angeles have burned since the fires began on Monday.
The origins of the Palisades fire and Eaton fire are still unknown and are under investigation.
Phillip Cohen, 68, a former educator who is battling cancer, was forced to flee his $1 million condo in the Pacific Palisades on Tuesday as flames reached the property.
Cohen has no idea if his home is still standing as he made his way to Westwood Recreation Center for shelter.
Speaking exclusively to The U.S. Sun, he said: “They had to leave their cars. Women sobbing, carrying babies, and holding on to toddlers, running down Sunset Boulevard.”
As the fire spread, Cohen had to eventually evacuate himself after flames reached his building.
He said: “This is the worst I’ve seen [in Los Angeles]. The spread is so crazy.
“I don’t know what’s left. I may have lost all of my son’s baby photos from my hard drive, everything from my computer, and furniture. I can’t go back for four or five days.”
Canyon Bakery owner Patrice Winter told the LA Times the fires were like “Armageddon.”
He said: “That’s all I can say. What they’re showing on the news is really real; they’re not sensationalizing any of this.
“It’s what I saw with my own eyes. It rocks your world.”
President Joe Biden has canceled a trip to Italy and approved a major disaster declaration.
He also said on Wednesday that his son Hunter’s home “is probably burned to the ground,” but that they were still unsure.
Schools in the area are to remain closed for the rest of the week and five campuses have been damaged by the flames, school district Dr Blanco confirmed.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the Palisades fire, which began on Monday, was sparked by a backyard fire before strong winds fanned embers to neighboring areas, according to NBC affiliate KNBC.
On Tuesday night, a crowd of out-of-touch influencers were seen entering an evacuation zone to snap selfies in front of the blazing carnage.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told sightseers to stay away.
Luna said: “Stay out of these areas, it’s only for emergency workers and people who live there.”
Luna also slammed looters saying: “So if you’re thinking of coming into any of these areas to steal from our residents, I’m going to tell you something – you’re going to get caught, you’re going to be arrested, and you’re going to be prosecuted.”
At least three million homes and businesses across Los Angeles County are without power, according to Southern California Edison, an electrical service company.
Biden’s disgraced son Hunter has seen his rental home turned to rubble with the $15,800 Malibu pad razed to the ground, the Daily Mail reports.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump‘s pick to be his next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, told CBS News that his home in Brentwood was evacuated.
“Yeah, we’ve been evacuated. I’m hoping it’s still standing,” Kennedy Jr. said.
WATER FIGHT
Politicians have begun to argue about water and the preparedness of the LAFD to deal with the situation.
Trump slammed California Governor Gavin Newsom‘s policy decisions, which he said are responsible for the “apocalyptic” burning in Los Angeles.
He slammed Newsom for not signing a deal to provide more water to California over concerns about an endangered fish.
Trump said: “He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California.
“Now, the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA!”
Newsom hit back by telling CNN’s Anderson Cooper that “one can’t even respond” to Trump’s attacks.
He said: “People are literally fleeing, people have lost their lives, kids lost their schools, families completely torn asunder, churches burned down – this guy wanted to politicize it.”
Mayor Karen Bass is also under fire after she was in Ghana for the inauguration of its new president when the fires broke out.
Bass did not return to LA until Wednesday, by which time 1,000 homes had burned and 100,000 people had been forced to flee.
Michael Gonzales, 47, a lawyer told the New York Times there was “zero preparation” with the mayor being away despite extreme weather warnings last week.
He said: “It was an utter breakdown in leadership and it starts with the mayor’s office.”
Bass pinned the horror situation on months of little rain and the gusty, dry winds and said she took the first plane back to the city.
HISTORIC DISASTER
Kevin McGowan, the director of emergency management of Los Angeles County, described the wildfires as a “historical natural disaster.”
Los Angeles County remains under a red flag weather warning as strong winds and low humidity will remain in the region.
The powerful gusts grounded firefighting aircraft on Tuesday evening.
Crowley said the blazes were “stretching the capacity of our emergency services to their maximum limits.”
Fire Chief Marrone said the county and its 29 fire departments “are not prepared for this type of widespread disaster.”
“The LA County Fire Department was prepared for one or two major brush fires, but more four, especially given these sustained winds and low humidities,” Marrone said.
“This is not a normal red flag alert. People were calling for help. We tried to get them the help that they needed.
“LA County right now, like the LA City Fire Department, is prioritizing life safety, but we are also engaging in structure defense, perimeter control, and aerial operations.
“We’re doing the very best we can, but we don’t have enough fire personnel in LA County between all of the departments to handle this.”
LA wildfires by the numbers
There are five main fires that have hit LA over the last two days and are now threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents.
Here’s a list of the key facts for each of the blazes:
Palisades fire:
- Started: 10.30am Tuesday near Palisades Drive
- Size: 17,000 acres
- Containment: Zero percent
- Injuries: Unknown number of “significant” injuries
- Damage: At least, 1000 buildings burned with 13,000 more threatened
- Evacuations: Some 30,000 people under evacuation orders
- Summary: The Palisades fire spread quickly in the gusty, dry winds and dry brush and ran into celebrity enclave neighborhoods filled with multimillion-dollar homes. The fire has burned some of the most iconic LA real estate including Sunset Boulevard.
Eaton fire:
- Started: 6.18pm on Tuesday in Altadena near Eaton Canyon
- Size: 10,000 acres
- Containment: Zero percent
- Injuries: Five dead, unknown number of injuries
- Evacuations: Some 100,000 people under evacuation orders
- Summary: The Eaton fire spread rapidly and quickly threatened homes in the area more densely populated than Palisades.
Sunset fire:
- Started: 6.00pm Wednesday
- Size: 60 acres
- Containment: Zero percent
- Injuries: Unknown
- Evacuations: Orders issued for parts of Hollywood, but since lifted
- Summary: The Sunset fire has threatened Hollywood Boulevard and the iconic Hollywood sign and Hollywood Bowl as it spreads through the Runyon Canyon. The LA Times now reports the blaze is receding after a valiant battle by firefighters.
Hurst fire:
- Started: 10.29pm on Tuesday in Sylmar
- Size: 850 acres
- Containment: 10 percent
- Injuries: None reported
- Summary: The blaze broke out near the interstate on the fringe of the city of San Fernando. It is not thought to have damaged any homes so far.
Lidia fire:
- Started: 2pm on Wednesday
- Size: 350 acres
- Containment: 40 percent
- Injuries: None reported
- Summary: The Lidia fire is away from the city on the northern side of the Magic Mountain Wilderness Area. It is mostly burning through bush and does not threaten homes.
