More than 100,000 residents in Southern California were ordered to evacuate as wildfires raged out of control across the Los Angeles region on Wednesday morning, and authorities confirmed the first known fatalities from the blaze.
Strong winds had fuelled flames at four separate locations across more than 25,000 acres, sending plumes of smoke across the sky, creating an apocalyptic hue. Wind gusts ranged from 50 to 80mph throughout the region, said the National Weather Service, making it nearly impossible to contain the fire.
The air quality in much of LA was deemed “very unhealthy” and even parts of the city far from the fires smelled strongly of smoke. At a news conference on Wednesday morning, authorities acknowledged they were still trying to catch up with the rapidly unfolding events.
Little was known about how the fires began, how many structures had been destroyed and how many deaths or injuries have occurred, and authorities said they had been unable to contain most of the blazes that had spread across the region.
California declared a state of emergency, which enabled the National Guard to be deployed in the region, and President Joe Biden joined California governor Gavin Newsom at a midday news conference.
The first fire began on Tuesday morning at about 10.30am in the wealthy neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades, home to some high-profile Hollywood stars. It quickly spread north to even more upscale Malibu and threatened buildings in Santa Monica to the south, as embers carried by heavy gusts engulfed entire streets. That fire has since spread to more than 15,800 acres.
By Wednesday morning, at least three other fires beyond the original one in the Palisades were plaguing the region. Areas to the north and east of Los Angeles had gone up in flames, including in the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita, Altadena and Pasadena.
Efforts to contain the blazes have been impeded because so-called “super scooper” aeroplanes that pick up water from the ocean have been grounded by high wind gusts, although they were expected to die down later into the afternoon.
Residents of Pacific Palisades, a canyon neighbourhood along the Pacific coast, reached out to friends and family throughout the night to try to determine whose homes were still standing. Many of those who live in the Palisades evacuated to nearby Santa Monica, only to be told they needed to move further south as night fell and the nearby fire continued to rage.
“This is a tragic time for our history here in Los Angeles,” said Jim McDonnell, the chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. “It’s critical that we be patient, come together and stay focused on saving lives.”
The fires have halted work in Hollywood and forced pre-Oscar screenings and celebrations to be postponed. Warner Bros shut down production on its lot in Burbank because of the fires and Paramount postponed the premiere of its new film, Better Man. Universal cancelled a party on Friday hosted by Donna Langley, chair of NBCUniversal Studios & Entertainment.
Late on Tuesday, another fire erupted near Pasadena, a prosperous and diverse suburb that is home to Nasa’s jet propulsion laboratory and the Rose Bowl stadium, which is due to host events at the 2028 Olympic Games.
Known as the Eaton fire, it has grown to more than 10,600 acres and has spurred more than 48,000 evacuation orders, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Authorities said two people had been killed in the Eaton fire, which is moving through an area just south of the Angeles National Forest — the first known deaths resulting from the blazes. Authorities said they were unable to get any portion of the Palisades or Eaton fires under control.
Early predictions of the financial devastation have started to roll in, with AccuWeather estimating the total damage and economic loss could be as much as $57bn. In the Palisades area, home prices average about $3.5mn, meaning billions of dollars in claims will be filed for that neighbourhood. Insurers are bracing for what is expected to be one of the costliest natural disasters in California history.
Meanwhile, in the San Fernando Valley, a third fire had spread to more than 500 acres and also prompted widespread evacuations. The combined blazes have strained the region’s firefighting resources, with the Los Angeles Fire Department asking all off-duty firefighters to report their availability to help combat the flames.
At the Altadena fire, reports indicated there were neighbourhoods with no firefighters present with the department stretched extremely thin.
Wildfire scientist Maria Lucia Ferreira Barbosa, at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, said the fires were a stark reminder of how extreme weather had increased the fire risk.
“It is likely that heavy rains from El Niño last year fuelled vegetation growth, which has since dried out during the recent prolonged dry spell and, along with strong winds, creating perfect conditions for wildfires to spread,” she said.
“While it is too early to link the current Los Angeles fires to climate change, our research has shown that global warming brings more prolonged dry conditions that exacerbate the spread of wildfires.”
In its projections on climate change, the UN Environment Programme has estimated a global increase in extreme fires of up to 14 per cent by 2030, 30 per cent by 2050 and 50 per cent by the end of the century.
The Climate Capital
Where climate change meets business, markets and politics. Explore the FT’s coverage here.
Are you curious about the FT’s environmental sustainability commitments? Find out more about our science-based targets here
