LOS ANGELES (AP) — The two largest wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area have burned at least 10,000 homes, buildings and other structures, officials said Thursday as they urged more people to heed evacuation orders after That a new fire was lit and grew rapidly.
The fast-moving Kenneth Fire began late in the afternoon in the San Fernando Valley, just 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from a school serving as a shelter for fire evacuees, and then moved to neighboring Ventura County at night.
Just hours earlier, officials expressed encouragement after firefighters, aided by calmer winds and help from out-of-state crews, saw the first signs of successfully pushing back the region. devastating forest fires They have killed seven people so far.
“We expect this fire to spread rapidly due to strong winds,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, echoing the forecast that called for winds to strengthen Thursday night into Friday morning.
The orders came as Los Angeles County officials announced that the Eaton Fire near Pasadena that began Tuesday night has burned more than 5,000 structures, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. To the west, in Pacific Palisades, the largest fire burning in the Los Angeles area has destroyed more than 5,300 structures.
All of the large fires that have broken out this week in the Los Angeles area are located in a strip about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of downtown, extending a feeling of fear and sadness in the second largest city in the country.
Dozens of blocks were reduced to smoking rubble in the picturesque Pacific Palisades. Only the outlines of the houses and their chimneys remained. In Malibu, the only thing left on the rubble where beachfront homes once stood were strands of blackened palm trees.
At least five churches, a synagogue, seven schools, two libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and grocery stores were lost. So were Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and the Topanga Ranch Motel, local landmarks dating back to the 1920s. The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage or details on how many structures burned.
AccuWeather, a private company that provides data on the weather and its impact, on Thursday raised its estimate of damage and economic losses to between $135 billion and $150 billion.
Firefighters made significant progress Thursday in slowing the spread of major fires, but containment remained far from reach.
Crews also extinguished a fire. in the hollywood hills with the help of water drops from airplanes, which allowed the evacuation to be lifted on Thursday. The fire that broke out Wednesday night near the heart of the entertainment industry came dangerously close to burning down the famous Hollywood Bowl outdoor concert venue.
Firefighters do not yet know the cause of the fires, but are actively investigating.
The enormity of the destruction emerges
At the beginning of the week, hurricane force winds blew emberslighting up the slopes of Southern California.
At this point, it’s impossible to quantify the extent of the destruction beyond “devastation and total loss,” said Barbara Bruderlin, director of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce.
“There are areas where everything has disappeared, not a stick of wood is left, it’s just dirt,” Bruderlin said.
Of the seven deaths so far, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley confirmed that two occurred in the Palisades Fire. County officials said the Eaton fire had killed five people.
Dogs and body search teams are searching through the rubble, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy, were waiting for an ambulance to arrive but did not make it out, Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, told the Washington Post.
Shari Shaw said KTLA who tried to get his brother Victor Shaw, 66, to evacuate Tuesday night, but he wanted to stay and put out the fire. Crews found his body with a garden hose in his hand.
On Thursday, recovery teams pulled a body from the rubble of what was a beachfront residence in Malibu on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. A charred washer and dryer were among the few things left.
There have been evacuations, school closures and arrests.
At least 180,000 people were under evacuation orders and the fires have consumed about 117 square kilometers (45 square miles), about the size of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles history.
All schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest in the country, will be closed Friday due to heavy smoke hanging over the city and falling ash in some parts, and classes will not resume until conditions improve, officials said.
At least 20 arrests have been made for looting and the city of Santa Monica declared a curfew due to lawlessness, authorities said. National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday night. The county sheriff said to protect property they will be stationed near areas devastated by the fire and a curfew is expected to go into effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Actors among those who lost their homes
The flames destroyed the homes of various celebritiesincluding Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton.
Jamie Lee Curtis pledged $1 million to start a “support fund” for those affected by the fires that affected all economic levels of the city, from the wealthy to the working class.
State experiences longer fire season
Wildfire season in California is starting earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased precipitation linked to climate change, according to recent data.
Dry winds, including the famous Santa Anashave contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, which has not seen more than 2.5 millimeters (0.1 in) of rain since early May.
Some losses feel greater than others
Robert Lara tearfully searched through the remains of his Altadena home Thursday, hoping to find a safe containing a set of earrings that once belonged to his great-great-grandmother.
“All our memories, all our sentimental ties, the things that were given from generation to generation are now gone,” he said.
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Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio, and Watson from San Diego. Associated Press journalists Manuel Valdés, Eugene García, Krysta Fauria and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Ethan Swope in Pasadena, California; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska; Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Janie Har in San Francisco; Brian Melley in London; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland; and Tammy Webber in Detroit contributed.
Jaimie Ding, Julie Watson and John Seewer, Associated Press