Summary
The time is nearly 5am in Los Angeles, 8am in New York and 1pm in London. Here is the latest on the wildfires situation affecting LA.
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Firefighters are preparing for a return of dangerous winds that could again stoke the wildfires.
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The National Weather Service has issued a rare warning of a “particularly dangerous situation,” beginning overnight Monday into Tuesday. The service’s Ariel Cohen warned of the risk of “explosive fire growth as those winds pick back up”.
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At least 24 people have been killed and thousands of homes have been destroyed in the Los Angeles area.
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At least 16 people are still missing and rescue crews are using sniffer dogs to search the debris of burned down buildings. Authorities are expecting the death toll to rise.
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Fire crews made some progress tackling the flames this weekend meaning a limited number of people were allowed to return to previously evacuated areas.
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The Palisades Fire is 13% contained and has burned through more than 23,000 acres, according to an update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Eaton Fire is 27% contained and has burned through over 14,000 acres. The Hurst Fire is 89% contained and has burned through 799 acres.
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Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman is expected to announce charges against a group of people accused of looting houses and in the Pacific Palisades at a news conference on Monday afternoon.
I’m handing over this blog to my colleague Anna Betts now, thank you for reading.
Key events
The Eaton fire, which covers much of PUSD, is still only 33% contained as of 5:59 this morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Many evacuation orders and warnings remain in place.
“Our community is strong, resourceful, and resilient,” PUSD superintendent Elizabeth Blanco said. “We will rebuild and honor the beauty and shared history of our schools and neighborhoods while incorporating modern enhancements. We will build a future that reflects the strength and spirit of our community and demonstrates the Power of Us.”
By contrast, the nearby Pasadena Unified School District will remain closed until 17 January “after careful assessment and consultation with local emergency management officials.”
In a statement, the district said: “The Eaton Fire has brought unimaginable losses to our students, families, and staff. Our hearts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.
The health and safety of our PUSD community remain our highest priority as we navigate the significant impact of the fire on so many of our students, families, and staff. Nearly half of our employees reside within the evacuation zone. Many of them, like so many of our students and families, have lost their homes.”
Despite the devastation caused by the ongoing fires, some schools in the region are expected to reopen shortly.
Los Angeles Unified School District – the country’s second largest school district – announced most schools and offices will reopen Monday morning. More than half a million students were out of school as a result of the fires.
Missing school causes concern for a number reasons, but especially because many students rely on it for meals. LAUSD provided two meals per student, per day since the fires broke out.
Los Angeles county fire chief Anthony Marrone just said in an interview with CBS that he does believe there are enough resources to fight the wildfires in the area, contradicting Los Angeles fire department chief Kristin Crowley, who publicly criticized the city on Friday for budget cuts that she said have made it harder for firefighters to do their jobs.
Marrone said these fires are “unprecedented.”
Almost 50,000 customers remain without power in California.
As of 8:45 am ET, 49, 638 customers in California were experiencing power outages, according to PowerOutage.us.
The Los Angeles Fire Department says that trying to manage donations at their fire stations is impacting their operations and is encouraging people to send all donations to donation centers and nonprofits instead.
In a statement, the Los Angeles Fire Department said:
First and foremost, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your generosity and unwavering support. Your donations have made a significant difference in helping us fight these multiple fires affecting our communities.
While the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Fire Department are more than grateful for your support, please do not drop off donations at fire stations or shelters as it impacts the critical operations of these frontline responders.
The department is urging people to instead send items to donation centers and nonprofits.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District has extended a windblown dust advisory due to strong Santa Ana winds through Tuesday afternoon.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District is the air pollution control agency responsible for Orange County and the urban areas of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
The agency said that high winds could disperse ash from the fires and burned structures, potentially leading to Air Quality Index levels that are “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse” in most of Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties in the South Coast Air Basin and the Coachella Valley.
The agency also warns that windblown ash from these burned structures may contain elevated levels of air toxins.
“If you see windblown ash, take precautions to reduce exposure” the agency said.
‘Particularly dangerous situation’ warning issued for Ventura and LA counties
The National Weather Service has issued a “Particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning for Ventura and Los Angeles counties from Tuesday morning until noon on Wednesday.
These warnings have been issued in response to expected damaging gusty winds and low humidity in the area, with gusts predicted to reach between 45 mph and 70 mph.
The National Weather Service stated, “Peak winds for this next event will be weaker than those last week. Nevertheless, winds will be strong enough to potentially cause explosive fire growth.”
A Red Flag Warning indicaes that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will occur shortly.
Summary
The time is nearly 5am in Los Angeles, 8am in New York and 1pm in London. Here is the latest on the wildfires situation affecting LA.
-
Firefighters are preparing for a return of dangerous winds that could again stoke the wildfires.
-
The National Weather Service has issued a rare warning of a “particularly dangerous situation,” beginning overnight Monday into Tuesday. The service’s Ariel Cohen warned of the risk of “explosive fire growth as those winds pick back up”.
-
At least 24 people have been killed and thousands of homes have been destroyed in the Los Angeles area.
-
At least 16 people are still missing and rescue crews are using sniffer dogs to search the debris of burned down buildings. Authorities are expecting the death toll to rise.
-
Fire crews made some progress tackling the flames this weekend meaning a limited number of people were allowed to return to previously evacuated areas.
-
The Palisades Fire is 13% contained and has burned through more than 23,000 acres, according to an update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Eaton Fire is 27% contained and has burned through over 14,000 acres. The Hurst Fire is 89% contained and has burned through 799 acres.
-
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman is expected to announce charges against a group of people accused of looting houses and in the Pacific Palisades at a news conference on Monday afternoon.
I’m handing over this blog to my colleague Anna Betts now, thank you for reading.
Power companies in Los Angeles are working to prevent potential damage to power lines by clearing dry shrubbery and vegetation from the areas surrounding power poles.
Once cleared, the companies are then dousing power poles with fire retardent similar to that being dropped by firefighting aircraft.
“We are way ahead from the fire,” Connor Norton, a PG&E employee working in North Hollywood told CBS News on Sunday.
Most Los Angeles schools and offices outside those areas still affected by fires will reopen today, the Los Angeles Unified School District has said.
“Conditions have improved for a majority of areas across the Los Angeles region and the district is confident it is safe for students and employees to return to campuses,” it said.
Firefighters from Mexico and Canada are being deployed to California to help the efforts to contain the Los Angeles wildfires.
More than 70 firefighters from Mexico received training on Sunday and have been practising under the guidance of California teams.
“It’s extremely important to have the help from our neighbors,” Curtis Rhodes, Cal Fire public information officer, told NBC. “Not only do we have México down here, we have the Canada firefighters coming in here today.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukraine president, has offered California 150 firefighters in response to a post on X by Donald Trump Jr.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman is expected to announce charges against a group of people accused of looting houses and in the Pacific Palisades at a news conference on Monday afternoon, US media is reporting.
California governor Gavin Newsom has accused Elon Musk of “encouraging looting” after the billionaire shared posts on his social media platform X that claimed the politician had “decriminalised” it.
The Palisades Fire is 13% contained and has burned through more than 23,000 acres, according to an update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Eaton Fire is 27% contained and has burned through over 14,000 acres.
The Hurst Fire is 89% contained and has burned through 799 acres.
