Los Angeles: Firefighters continued to battle two massive wildfires ravaging parts of Los Angeles, working tirelessly under extremely hazardous conditions as desert winds and a parched landscape increased the risk.
Some 8,500 firefighters from at least seven states and two foreign countries managed to prevent the fires from spreading further for the second consecutive day. They gained slight control over the perimeter of the blazes, which have consumed an area equivalent to Washington, D.C.
Aircraft have been instrumental in the fight, dropping water and retardants over rugged terrain. Ground crews armed with hand tools and hoses have worked around the clock since the fires erupted on January 7, although high winds occasionally grounded aircraft operations.
Progress in Containment
The Palisades Fire, burning on the city’s western edge, remained at 23,713 acres (96 square kilometers) with containment increasing to 17%. Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire, located in the eastern foothills, burned 14,117 acres (57 square kilometers), with containment improving to 35%.
Southern California’s prolonged drought has turned vegetation into tinder, with Santa Ana winds propelling embers up to two miles ahead of the fires. The National Weather Service warned that red flag conditions would persist through Wednesday, with mountain gusts potentially reaching 70 mph (112 kph).
Rapid Response Mitigates New Threats
California Governor Gavin Newsom noted that 11 new fires erupted in Southern California overnight but were quickly extinguished thanks to pre-positioned resources. However, three other fires in Ventura and Riverside counties remained active.
The death toll from the fires rose to 25, and over 12,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed, marking an unprecedented rebuilding challenge. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to ash, with chimneys often the only remnants of homes.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass described the destruction as “unimaginable” after an aerial tour, saying, “It’s one thing to see it on television. It’s another to see it from the air.”
Displacement and Recovery Efforts
While a few thousand evacuees were allowed to return home, over 88,000 residents remained under evacuation orders, with another 84,000 under warnings. John Adolph, who lost his Altadena home to the Eaton Fire, recounted his harrowing experience:
“There were burning grocery stores, gas stations, exploding cars that went pop with glass flying … Walls of flames two stories tall, tornadoes of flame. I was stupid with a side of crazy to try.”
Urban search and rescue teams operated systematically, searching house by house for hazards like lithium-ion batteries and lingering fires. Jorge Villanueva, a regional task force leader, explained, “The winds really don’t have a whole lot of effect on our search and rescue operations.”
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Priceless Art Secured
The Palisades Fire posed a potential threat to the J. Paul Getty Museum’s priceless art collection, but the artwork remained secure within the fire-resistant Getty Center. “It would be extremely foolish to try and remove artwork from its safe harbor,” said Getty Trust President Katherine E. Fleming.
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Costliest Wildfire in History
With insured losses reaching unprecedented levels, private forecaster AccuWeather estimated the total economic impact of the wildfires at $250–275 billion, potentially surpassing Hurricane Katrina as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
In Washington, debates over emergency aid funding intensified. House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested attaching conditions to wildfire assistance funding, a move opposed by Democrats. Representative Ted Lieu criticized Johnson’s position, stating, “We should not be leveraging the pain and suffering of our fellow Americans to try to force new policy changes.”
