5 Wildfires Rage Across L.A.

Raging wildfires that broke out in various regions of Los Angeles, CA, Tuesday and Wednesday are spreading across the region due to extreme winds, causing historic destruction of homes and displacing thousands of people.

Follow Breitbart News for live coverage of this breaking news story. A live 3D incident map can be found here. All times eastern unless otherwise noted.

10:20 PM — State data shows eight concurrent fires right now. Only one blaze, the fourth-largest Lidia Fire, is marked at greater than 0% containment.

10:16 PM — Evacuees from the Sunset Fire are deadlocked in traffic.

6:27 PM PT — More videos and images from the Sunset Fire spreading through the Hollywood Hills near Runyon Canyon.

6:20 PM PT — The Sunset Fire now has its own page. It’s spreading fast over 10 acres already.

5:46 PM PT — An new fire is erupting in the Hollywood Hills near Griffith Park, home to the famous Griffith Park Observatory of LaLa Land fame and also home to the most iconic image of Los Angeles — the Hollywood sign.

5:35 PM PT — Firefighters from Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona are coming to the aid of California. City officials are emphasizing the unprecedented nature of these fires, which given the size and scope of the damage, is not an understatement.

5:34 PM PT — Bass urged residents to conserve water, “We want to make sure that we are ready if we need more water.” She also urged people to pack a bag and be prepared to leave if more evacuation orders are given tonight.

5:15 PM PT — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and city officials are holding a press conference. Watch below:

5:14 PM PT — Breitbart Senior Editor-at-Large Joel Pollak reports from the scene in his neighborhood in Pacific Palisades:

5:13 PM PT — The Getty Villa — which is home to the late J. Paul Getty’s Greek and Roman antiquities and is separate from the Getty Center museum — has been spared from the Palisades Fire. The Getty announced that the Villa “remains safe and intact,” though “vegetation on the property” was burned.

4:45 PM PT — Pasadena Fire Department Chief Chad Augustin said that they are mobilizing 60 strike teams with 750 firefighters to battle the Eaton Fire and have received help from firefighters across California and as far away as Arizona. He described his local firefighters as “exhausted” and looking forward to the “reinforcements” that are coming. He noted that the multiple area fires yesterday strained the resources that Pasadena normally relies on with its partnership with Los Angeles County and created an unprecedented situation. He estimated that 200 to 500 structures have been damaged or lost in the Eaton Fire, whose origins are still undetermined.

Augustin also addressed concerns that fire fighters did not have enough water to battle the flames. He explained that the water supply was stretched due to the demand from all the fire engines, and the power outages also impacted this. But he emphasized that the fire’s rapid expansion was the result of erratic wind conditions that sent embers flying for miles. “With those wind gusts, we were not stopping that fire last night,” he said. He also expressed hope that milder wind conditions this evening will give them time to contain the fire.

4:26 PM PT — Pasadena schools will be closed for the rest of the week, the superintendent of the Pasadena Unified School District announced at the press conference. She noted that at least five of the schools have sustained considerable damage, but there may be more.

4:18 PM PT — Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo said that over 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders due to the Eaton fire, and another 100,000 have been warned that they should evacuate. The fire has already claimed five lives and destroyed “hundreds” of homes and spread over 10,600 acres, Gordo said at a press conference currently underway.

Video of the press conference:

4:00 PM PT — Californians, who are no strangers to natural disasters, are at the mercy of the wind right now, making this particular disaster feel especially capricious. The current danger will remain until the Santa Ana winds die down or change course or the rain comes. However, according to the National Weather Service, the winds are not done doing their damage, the New York Times reports:

In the latest forecast, the National Weather Service said another round of Santa Ana winds may arrive earlier than expected. After a brief reprieve overnight, the winds could pick up again on Thursday afternoon, peaking overnight and continuing into Friday morning. The winds are expected to be less severe than those on Tuesday and Wednesday, with isolated gusts up to 70 m.p.h. possible in the mountains.

3:47 PM PT — This video gives an idea of the before and after devastation caused by the Palisades Fire.

3:41 PM PT — The Eaton Fire destroyed the Altadena Senior Center, and its residents were evacuated last night. The fire may also have reached Altadena’s historic Christmas Tree Lane, which is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, and is regarded by the locals as home to “the oldest large-scale outdoor Christmas display in the world” due to the annual Christmas lights display in the deodar cedar trees lining Santa Rosa Avenue, a tradition which started in 1920.

3:27 PM PT — L.A. Mayor Karen Bass (D), who was in Ghana during what is now officially the most destructive fire in the history of Los Angeles, dodges answering questions from a Sky News reporter about her leadership during this disaster.

3:21 PM PT — A fifth fire — called the Lidia Fire — has spread to over 50 acres as of Wednesday afternoon with 0% containment, bringing the total of active fires in southern California to six.

3:06 PM PT — Roughly 1.5 million customers in California are without power as of Wednesday afternoon, the New York Times reports. Most of the power outages are in the Los Angeles area, and some of the power cuts were done deliberately as a preventative measure due to concern that high winds could cause damage to electrical equipment and spark new wildfires. The Times notes that Southern California Edison preventively cut off power to over 170,000 customers, and about 9,000 customers of San Diego Gas & Electric also experienced power outages.

2:57 PM PT — The death toll from the Eaton fire engulfing Altadena and Pasadena has now risen to five people, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. It has now destroyed over 10,600 acres.

2:51 PM PT — The sky over large parts of Los Angeles today have been an ominous orange smog blotting out the sun even in areas that have not directly effected by the fires.

2:43 PM PT — Due to the Palisades fire, the city of Santa Monica has expanded evacuation orders for residents in the area north of Montana Avenue and west of 11th Street who have been advised to leave the area immediately. The evacuation warning remains in place for the areas north of Wilshire Boulevard and west of 10th Street.

4:54 PM — KTLA: Planet Fitness opens its facilities to displaced L.A. residents and first responders.

“The fitness chain is providing people free access to locker rooms, showers, HydroMassage loungers, electrical outlets, and Wi-Fi.”

4:52 PM — The Pacific Palisades wildfire is the most destructive in L.A. history, per AP:

4:50 PM — Breitbart News reporter Paul Bois:

4:45 PM — Newsom-Biden lovefest.

4:38 PM — Mayor Karen Bass has returned from Africa and is touting her presence on the ground with first responders.

4:36 PM — Palisades Fire now over 15,000 acres.

4:01 PM — Compelling eyewitness videos of the L.A. wildfires and survivors reacting to their neighborhoods’ destruction:

3:46 PM — Breitbart senior editor-at-large Joel Pollak capturing footage from affected areas:

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