Firefighters continued to battle multiple major wildfires. Much of Los Angeles County remains under a red flag warning through Friday night.
Palisades fire
Burned 21,317 acres and numerous homes, businesses and landmarks in Pacific Palisades and westward along Pacific Coast Highway, toward Malibu. As of 5 a.m. Friday morning, the fire was 8% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Evacuation warnings were expanded Friday afternoon to include hillside neighborhoods just west of the 405 Freeway, as well as areas south of the 101 Freeway — including around Encino Reservoir and Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park.
Eaton fire
Burned 13,956 acres and many structures in Altadena and Pasadena. Additional evacuation orders were mandated Thursday afternoon when fire climbed toward Mt. Wilson. Other mandatory evacuations were lifted as city officials notified residents in Glenoaks Canyon and Chevy Chase Canyon that it was safe to return to their homes. Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X on Friday morning that the fire was 3% contained as of 7:30 a.m.
Kenneth fire
Burned 1,000 acres near the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. As of 6 a.m. Friday morning, the fire was 35% contained, according to Cal Fire. All evacuation warnings have been lifted for the fire.
Archer fire
A brush fire broke out Friday in Granada Hills. The Archer fire had burned about three acres near 17278 Sesnon Blvd. and was growing at only a moderate speed, fire officials said.
Hurst fire
Burned 771 acres in the area around Sylmar. Evacuation orders have been lifted. As of 8 p.m. Thursday night, the fire was 37% contained, according to Cal Fire.
Lidia fire
Burned 395 acres in Acton and is 75% contained, according to Cal Fire.
Coverage of the fires ravaging Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Pasadena, including stories about the devastation, issues firefighters faced and the weather.
L.A. firefighters make progress, but grim task of finding the dead just beginning
An unprecedented four-day fire siege that damaged or destroyed more than 12,000 structures and killed at least 11 people showed signs of finally easing Friday as winds lessened and firefighters began to contain the infernos.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said crews were in their best position yet to get a handle on the blazes — though still with a long way to go. The Palisades fire was 8% contained and the Eaton fire was 3% contained as of Friday afternoon, according to fire officials.
Hopes are crushed when Altadena residents get false message to access homes in evacuation zone
One by one, Eaton fire evacuees showed up to a National Guard blockade in Altadena on Friday afternoon, believing they would be allowed to make one trip into the mandatory evacuation zone.
They flashed screenshots of a Facebook post from the city of Pasadena to perplexed National Guard members. The post read: “Law enforcement is allowing residents in the evacuation area a single [time] to access their homes with reasonable verification. We encourage residents to be prepared to gather any and all documents or items needed during this one-time entry.”
Crowley is still L.A. fire chief, Bass spokesperson says, denying report she has been fired
A spokesperson for Mayor Karen Bass has denied a report from the Daily Mail that she had fired L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, according to Times staff writer David Zahniser.
Before-and-after satellite images show destruction in Malibu and Altadena
Palisades fire burning north, creating large smoke plume; evacuation warning issued
The northern leg of the Palisades fire was creating a large smoke plume visible from the San Fernando Valley and other areas late Friday afternoon.
The fire is burning in rugged terrain near the Encino Reservoir and Braemar Country Club in Tarzana, but remains some distance from homes.
The L.A. Fire Department extended an evacuation warning to hillside neighborhoods just west of the 405 Freeway, as well as areas south of the 101 Freeway, but said residents don’t need to leave now.
“While no immediate action is required, we ask residents to ensure they are Ready, Set, Go! with an evacuation bag and a plan,” the LAFD said.
The evacuation warning zone now covers the Encino Reservoir as well as areas around Corbin Canyon Park, Serrania Park and Mulholland Gateway Park.
As the fires continue to smolder, what is the air quality forecast for this weekend?
A veil of wildfire smoke continued to linger over many Southern California communities Friday as conflagrations tore through the Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District extended its ongoing smoke advisory into Saturday, marking the fifth consecutive day of unhealthy pollution, largely due to the Eaton fire in Altadena.
False reports of immigration sweeps in Los Angeles spread amid wildfires
Amid heightened anxiety over deadly wildfires and erroneous evacuation alerts, Angelenos got another dose of panic Friday when a social media hoax about immigration sweeps in Los Angeles began to circulate online.
The false report is a single message from an unknown sender who states that people had spotted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in several South L.A. neighborhoods as well as in nearby cities including Pasadena, El Segundo and Inglewood.
As fires grew, so did profiles of ‘scanner’ X accounts reporting what they heard
Before the fires they mostly tracked police pursuits and crimes in progress — maybe the occasional building fire.
But over the last week, since major fires began ravaging huge swaths of Los Angeles County, “scanners” on X — accounts who listen obsessively to police and fire radio chatter, then transcribe what they hear into digestible posts — have grown exponentially in popularity.
Newsom invites Trump to California to see L.A. fire damage
Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump on Friday inviting the incoming leader to California to meet with fire victims, survey the devastation in Los Angeles County and join him in thanking first responders.
The invitation, which the governor’s office said was emailed to Trump’s team, marks a change in tone in the political battle between Newsom and Trump.
State to probe why Pacific Palisades reservoir was offline, empty when firestorm exploded
A large reservoir in Pacific Palisades that is part of the Los Angeles water supply system was out of commission when a ferocious wildfire destroyed thousands of homes and other structures nearby, the Los Angeles Times found.
Officials said that the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been closed since about February for repairs to its cover, leaving a 117-million-gallon water storage complex empty in the heart of the Palisades for nearly a year.
Did Mayor Karen Bass really cut the fire department budget? The answer gets tricky
When Mayor Karen Bass unveiled her budget plan for 2024-25, she called for a 2.7% reduction in spending at the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Her proposal, unveiled in April, sought $23 million in cuts to the department, with much of it focused on reduced equipment purchases.
Newsom orders investigation into dry fire hydrants that hampered firefighting in L.A.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered an investigation into the causes behind water supply problems that left fire hydrants dry and hampered firefighting efforts during the devastating fires in Southern California.
Newsom’s demand for answers came amid criticism of city officials in Los Angeles over their handling of the disaster and questions about whether local water-related decisions and planning played a role in depriving firefighters of water during the most destructive fires in L.A. history. The governor has also come under criticism, largely on social media and in right-wing media coverage, for the state’s handling of the disaster.
Insurance commissioner issues moratorium on home policy cancellations in fire zones
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has issued a moratorium that bars insurers from canceling or non-renewing home policies in the Pacific Palisades and the San Gabriel Valley’s Eaton fire zones.
The moratorium, issued Thursday, protects homeowners living within the perimeter of the fire and in adjoining ZIP codes from losing their policies for one year, starting from when Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday.
L.A. firestorms bring waves of fire myths, disinformation. Here’s how to debunk it and not get fooled
As quickly as the Sunset fire started charring through Runyon Canyon in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday evening, an AI-generated photo of the Hollywood sign ablaze was rapidly circulating on social media.
It was just one example of misinformation surrounding the Los Angeles-area fires spreading on social media, and experts warn that false information during natural disaster events disrupts recovery efforts and harms community trust.
Ventura County officials identify ‘person of interest’ in Kenneth fire
A man “attempting to start a fire” Thursday in a West Hills neighborhood that was burning from the Kenneth fire is under investigation in connection with the nearly 1,000-acre blaze, according to law enforcement officials and a document reviewed by The Times.
Juan Sierra, 33, was arrested by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Topanga Division around 5:30 p.m. after he was seen attempting to spark a fire, according to a law enforcement email obtained by The Times.
‘We don’t know half of it.’ L.A. firestorm death toll expected to rise as searchers go door to door
It is expected to take some time to determine the death toll from this week’s Los Angeles firestorms.
Officials confirmed 10 people died in the Eaton and Palisades fires, but Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna said that number is likely to rise.