Palisades Fire: Two deaths confirmed as fire continues to grow
LOS ANGELES – Firefighters continue working around the clock in the taxing firefight against the massive Palisades Fire fueled by ferocious Santa Ana winds – it is one of several wind-driven fires raging in Los Angeles County.
On Thursday, authorities said the massive blaze took a deadly turn. During a press conference, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said two deaths were confirmed from the Palisades Fire.
According to the Associated Press, the fires across LA County – including Eaton, Herst, Kenneth, Palisades and others – have killed at least 10 people in total.
According to LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, officers responded to a home in the 15300 block of Friends Street in Pacific Palisades for a death investigation. He said the death was “fire-related.” No other details were released.
Earlier in the day, Los Angeles County deputies said they were doing a wellness check in Malibu when they found what they believe were human remains. A Medical Examiner will determine their exact cause of death.
Neither of the victims has been identified.
In total, seven deaths have been confirmed from the fires. Two from the Palisades Fire and five from the Eaton Fire in Altadena.
Earlier this week, LA County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said the department has been stretched thin over the week and has requested additional resources from Northern California, other agencies in Southern California and from out-of-state. The additional resources include 50 engine strike teams, 250 fire engines, and over 1,000 personnel.
In addition, he said fire crews from Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington arrived to help tackle the fires.
The Palisades Fire was first reported around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7, near Piedra Morada and Monte Hermoso drives, in the area of the Palisades Hills Recreation Center.
In the latest update Thursday night, the fire had grown to 19,978 acres with 6% containment. According to Cal Fire, the latest aerial survey of the Palisades Fire estimates that the number of structures destroyed is now 5,316. Cal Fire notes that “structures” can include residential and commercial properties, RVs, sheds or other “minor buildings.”
While no fatalities were reported, there were a high number of significant injuries to residents who refused to evacuate.
Evacuation orders and warnings
Fire authorities said 30,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders. People in the area of Palisades were urged to evacuate immediately.
On Wednesday afternoon, a new expanded evacuation order was issued for all areas north of Montana Avenue from the beach to 11th Street. Residents in the area were told to leave immediately; the area is closed to the public. Evacuation orders for the red areas can be viewed on this map.
Santa Monica residents living between the northern border of the city and San Vicente Boulevard, and between Ocean Boulevard and 26th Street, are also being told to evacuate, according to the city’s alert system around 7:30 p.m. on January 7.
According to LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, over 10,000 households were evacuated and another 15,000 buildings, including businesses, were also evacuated.
Evacuation Shelter
An evacuation center has been established at the Westwood Recreation Center on 1350 S. Sepulveda Blvd. and the Dream Center at 2301 Bellevue Ave. in Hollywood.
An emergency evacuation shelter for large animals has been established at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, 480 Riverside Drive, Burbank and Pierce College at 6201 Winnetka Ave, Woodland Hills. Those with small animals can go to the Agoura Animal Shelter.
Looting arrests
On Thursday, Santa Monica Police Department Chief Ramón Batista shared a message on social media, saying that the department has arrested multiple people in evacuation zones who “were in possession of weapons, stolen property or wanted for serious felony crimes in our region.”
“To those considering coming to our city to commit crimes or victimize our residents, your actions will not be tolerated and we will not allow you to prey on our residents during a time of crisis,” Batista wrote.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department also reported two arrests for looting, while one was arrested in LAPD jurisdiction.
Palisades Charter High School damaged
Palisades Charter High School was damaged by the flames. On Wednesday, school officials confirmed the school is still standing and they hope to reopen the school by the end of the semester.
“Despite the fire damage to our campus, the heart of our school is the people who comprise our community. My outreach to you today is to reassure you that our school is still standing, and we will reopen this semester, although possibly in a manner other than originally planned,” school principal Dr. Pamela Magree said in part in a letter sent to the Palisades Charter High School community.
Palisades Branch Library goes up in flames
FOX 11’s Gigi Graciette was at the scene as the Palisades Branch Library went up in flames.
The fast-wind-driven fire is particularly impacting the Pacific Palisades Highlands, according to Los Angeles FIre Department Capt. Eric Scott. In addition, the fire continues to pose a threat to Santa Monica and West Los Angeles.
State of emergency
As multiple wind-driven fires erupted, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The declaration will do things like bring firefighting resources down from Northern California to help battle the Palisades Fire.
“This is a highly dangerous windstorm creating extreme fire risk, and we’re not out of the woods,” Newsom said. He thanked first responders for their rapid response and urged residents to follow evacuation orders.
The city of Los Angeles also declared a state of emergency on Tuesday.
Structures impacted
Earlier this week, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said roughly 13,200 structures are threatened, including 10,367 residences.
While some structures have been damaged, there is no immediate word on the number of buildings that have been damaged or destroyed.
Video from the scene showed multiple homes on fire in the area of Shadow Mountain Drive and Bienveneda Ave. Due to limited resources, FOX 11’s Matthew Seedorff, who was in the area, reported seeing no firefighters in the neighborhood around noontime. Seedorff then sprung into action, taking a garden hose to attempt to put out flames.
Also, an apartment complex off PCH caught fire to its roof. In a different part of the Palisades, two men and a dog were trapped inside a home as the fire torched their neighborhood on Tuesday.
Los Angeles Fire Department station 23 on Sunset Boulevard and Los Liones Drive also caught fire.
The vegetation near the Getty Villa Museum caught fire, but it appears the actual museum remained untouched. The museum will remain closed until Monday, Jan. 13.
Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, says the staff and art collection at the Getty Villa remain safe.
“Additional fire prevention measures in place at the Villa include water storage on-site,” Fleming says in a statement. “Irrigation was immediately deployed throughout the grounds Tuesday morning. Museum galleries and library archives were sealed off from smoke by state-of-the-art air handling systems. The double-walled construction of the galleries also provides significant protection for the collections.”
One firefighter got hurt and several others suffered burns in Malibu, according to LAFD.
Theme park closures
Universal Studios Hollywood and the Universal CityWalk were closed again Thursday due to the wind and fire conditions in the area.
How to Help
During an update on Thursday morning, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass referred to the California Community Foundation and the LAFD Foundation.
Road Closures
- Eastbound Pacific Coast Highway has been closed at Topanga Canyon Boulevard.
- PCH is closed between Temescal Canyon Rd. and Las Flores Canyon Blvd.
- Topanga Canyon Blvd. is closed.
- Westbound 10 Freeway at McClure Tunnel is closed.
- The westbound 10 freeway at Lincoln Boulevard, along with northbound Pacific Coast Highway, is closed to assist with evacuation efforts.
When the first first broke out, traffic was backed up on Pacific Palisades Drive, PCH, and Sunset as residents evacuated.
Due to heavy gridlock, people were seen abandoning their vehicles on the street and walking. Fire officials say about 100 vehicles were abandoned, creating even more traffic and road closures.
A bulldozer was eventually brought in to remove the cars.
People are advised to avoid the area west of the 405 between Sunset Boulevard and the 101 Freeway to allow emergency responders to operate.
For more information and a map, visit NotifyLA.
RELATED: Southern California preparing for ‘life-threatening’ windstorm
According to the city, LAPD is on tactical alert.
At last year’s Consumer Electronics Show, Honda showed off two futuristic concept cars, the wedge-tastic 0 Saloon and the Space Hub van with a lounge-like interior. While the radical Saloon morphs into a prototype and moves closer to production at CES 2025, the Space Hub has been kicked off stage to make room for the Honda 0 SUV prototype, a much more conventional EV aimed at the crossover-crazy masses. The 0 SUV will evolve into a production model and lead the charge for Honda’s next-generation 0 Series EVs when manufacturing at the company’s new EV Hub in Ohio starts in the first half of 2026.
Designed and engineered in-house, the 0 SUV and 0 Saloon represent a reset for Honda, which has lagged behind the industry in delivering long-range EVs. The new models play catchup on the software front as well, incorporating a new Honda-developed operating system running on a centralized electrical/electronic architecture that unlocks new features.
While exact dimensions haven’t been divulged, Honda describes the 0 prototype as a midsize SUV. In person it appears a little larger than a (compact) CR-V and slightly smaller than a (midsize) Passport, which means it could compete with the GM-built Honda Prologue EV if the two vehicles end up sharing the showroom floor. The 0 distinguishes itself, though, with strong upright proportions that give it a more traditional SUV appearance compared to the wagon-like shape that’s common among electric crossovers.
Inside the 0 prototype offers seating for five and a spacious cargo area that includes two enclosed cubbies behind the thick D-pillars. The cockpit feels modern and upscale thanks in large part to pillar-to-pillar screens running across the dashboard. Three large displays serving as the instrument cluster, infotainment, and passenger screen are flanked by two small monitors for the camera mirrors. Don’t be surprised, though, if the production model sprouts conventional mirrors to meet U.S. regulations.
The driver pilots the 0 SUV with a yoke-style steering wheel and a steer-by-wire system similar to what’s used by the Tesla Cybertruck. With no physical connection to the front tires, the yoke in the prototype automatically rotates 180 degrees when the vehicle is off, providing more clearance for entering and exiting the vehicle.
Honda says the 0 Series will be capable of Level 3 eyes-off-the-road automated driving, which means a driver could watch a movie or join a video conference but would need to remain awake and alert to take control if the vehicle encounters a situation it can’t handle. That said, during a prototype drive last October, we were told that Level 3 capability won’t be available in the U.S. at launch and executives couldn’t shed any additional light on timing at CES 2025.
Whenever eyes-off driver assistance does arrive, expect a cautious rollout. Honda says the system will initially work as a highway traffic-jam assistant at low speeds on certain limited-access roads and that additional capability will be unlocked in time via over-the-air updates.
