In the morning On January 7, the first major wildfire in Los Angeles broke out in a forest near Topanga State Park on the northwest edge of the city. Conditions allowed the fire to spread very quickly: winds of 100 mph, very low humidity and a landscape that was on fire after months without rain caused the fire to rip through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, located in the middle of Santa Monica. and Malibu.
About 25 miles away in the Eaton area of Altadena, a second fire broke out. Along with several other smaller fires, the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires have since burned more than 30,000 acres of land in Los Angeles County, destroyed thousands of buildings and forced 130,000 people to evacuate.
As of Thursday morning, conditions in the Los Angeles area continued to pose a high risk for fires to start and spread. Fires have engulfed entire neighborhoods, and flames are now threatening several of the city's famous landmarks, including the iconic Hollywood sign. Thousands of firefighters are trying to extinguish the fire.
Some movie premieres—like those for a Robbie Williams biopic Better manJennifer Lopez's car UnstoppableAnd Werewolfstarring Julia Garner and produced by Ryan Gosling—was canceled due to hazardous conditions. On Thursday, California authorities ordered the evacuation of the Hollywood neighborhood after a fire broke out a few hundred yards from Hollywood Boulevard. The out-of-control situation also caused the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to postpone the announcement of Oscar nominations for up to two days.
US President Joe Biden is receiving real-time information on the situation and has requested “all necessary federal assistance” to extinguish the fires. “FEMA—the Federal Emergency Management Agency—has approved a fire management grant to assist affected areas and help reimburse the State of California for the immediate costs of fighting the fires,” said the general. president said in a statement Wednesday. The fires were declared a major disaster by the president.
Despite the efforts, the largest fires—Eaton and Pacific Palisades—remained 0% contained as of Thursday, when firefighters were running low on water. Although wind speeds have slowed from their peak earlier in the week, it is expected that the fires will continue to spread and cause more destruction. They were the most destructive in California history.