Facing unrelenting Santa Ana winds, firefighters worked tirelessly to save homes from a Los Angeles County wildfire that burned thousands of acres, destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed five people. A fire weather warning for Los Angeles County has been extended through Friday.
The red flag warning, which was due to expire on Thursday night, is expected to be extended as winds gradually weaken but remain strong. Firefighters have been battling the blaze since Tuesday morning, when the first gusts of wind from the powerful Santa Ana storm fanned the flames of the Palisades Fire in the Santa Monica Mountains above coastal Los Angeles County.
Fire crews from around Southern California and beyond responded to at least five more major fires in the hours and day that followed.
“This is what our crews are trained for,” LAFD Capt. Adam VanGerpen said. “We are used to working long hours. What keeps us going is that we have work to do. There are still houses on fire and people who have been evacuated. We are still in the early stages. Once the fire is out, we will come back to us. “We now have to move into the recovery stage. Currently, the containment rate is zero. ”
Winds will taper off Thursday, but only slightly. Winds will peak Thursday night into early Friday morning. A red flag warning, which indicates a fire could spread rapidly, is set to expire at 6pm on Friday.
“The winds late Tuesday into Wednesday were what the National Weather Service called particularly dangerous conditions,” said NBC4 Meteorologist Belen de Leon. “We had wind gusts up to 90 miles per hour aloft. This will be more like a typical Santa Ana wind event.”
The warning area includes the Santa Clarita Valley, Malibu Coast, Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area, Calabasas, Agoura Hills, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Mountains, San Gabriel Valley, and Highways 5 and 14.
Wind gusts of up to 98 mph were reported in the Saddle Peak area of the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area Tuesday night. Wind gusts of 97 mph were recorded in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains. Winds exceeding 80 mph were recorded in several other mountainous areas.
Conditions will calm this morning, but gusty winds are expected to pick up again later on Thursday. This video was broadcast on NBC4 News on January 9, 2025 at 4am.
Winds are sparking several fires, the largest of which is about 16,000 acres in the Pacific Palisades. Another fire that started Tuesday continues to burn in the Eaton Canyon area above Altadena. Fires are also burning in Sylmar and Acton in the Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles. A 60-acre fire broke out Wednesday night in the Hollywood Hills near the 101 Freeway and Runyon Canyon, west of the famous Hollywood Bowl.
Hundreds of structures were damaged or destroyed. More than 1,000 structures were lost in the Palisades Fire, and another 1,000 are believed to have been lost in the Eaton Fire.
NWS forecasters said the storm was the worst to hit the region since 2011. Firefighters say the weather conditions are some of the most dangerous they have ever seen.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved a major disaster declaration for the state in response to the fires. The White House said Biden canceled a planned trip to Italy as he “remains focused on directing the full federal response in the coming days.”
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