Ten people have died, more than 9,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed, and at least 130,000 residents are under evacuation orders. Experts say L.A. is not out of danger yet and that these fires have the potential to be the costliest wildfire disaster in American history.
Firefighters continued to battle multiple major wildfires. Much of Los Angeles County remains under a red flag warning through Friday night.
Palisades fire
Burned 19,978 acres and numerous homes, businesses and landmarks in Pacific Palisades and westward along Pacific Coast Highway, toward Malibu.
Eaton fire
Burned 13,690 acres and many structures in Altadena and Pasadena. Additional evacuation orders were mandated Thursday afternoon when climbed toward Mount 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.
Kenneth fire
Burned 960 acres near the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and triggered mandatory evacuation orders for areas around Vanowen Street south to Burbank Boulevard and County Lane Road east to Valley Circle Boulevard in Woodland Hills.
Sunset fire
Burned 60 acres and triggered mandatory evacuation orders in Hollywood and the Hollywood Hills. The Los Angeles Fire Department lifted evacuation orders Thursday morning.
Hurst fire
Burned 855 acres in the area around Sylmar. Evacuation orders have been lifted.
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.
