in the morning On January 7, Los Angeles’ first large wildfire broke out in a forested area near Topanga State Park on the northwest edge of the city. Conditions allowed the fire to spread very quickly: 100 mph winds, very little moisture, and a landscape that was primed to burn after months without rain combined to fuel the Pacific, located between Santa Monica and Malibu. A fire broke out in the Palisades area.
A second fire broke out in the Eaton area in Altadena, about 40 km away. Along with several other smaller fires, the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires have burned more than 30,000 acres in Los Angeles County, destroyed thousands of buildings and forced 130,000 people to evacuate their homes.
As of Thursday morning, conditions in the Los Angeles area continued to present a high risk for fires to start and spread. The fire has engulfed the entire neighborhood, and the flames are now threatening some of the city’s most famous landmarks, including its iconic Hollywood sign. Thousands of firefighters are working to control the fire.
Several film premieres—such as the Robbie Williams biopic better manJennifer Lopez’s car Can’t be stoppedAnd Wolf ManStarring Julia Garner and produced by Ryan Gosling – has been canceled due to hazardous conditions. On Thursday, California authorities ordered the evacuation of a Hollywood neighborhood after a fire broke out a few hundred yards from Hollywood Boulevard. The out-of-control situation has led the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to postpone the announcement of Oscar nominations by two days.
US President Joe Biden is receiving real-time information on the situation and has offered “federal assistance as needed” to put out the fire. “FEMA—the Federal Emergency Management Agency—has approved a fire-management grant to assist affected areas and to help reimburse the State of California for the immediate costs of fighting the fires,” the president said in a statement Wednesday. There is a fire declared a major disaster by the President.
Despite the efforts, the largest fires—Eaton and Pacific Palisades—were still zero percent contained as of Thursday, with firefighting water running low. Although wind speeds have decreased from their highs earlier in the week, the fire is expected to continue to spread and cause further destruction. They are already the most destructive in California history.
