Los Angeles braces for dangerously high winds as fires continue to burn – live updates – BBC.com
Firefighters in the Los Angeles area are facing a crucial day, as forecasters warn that particularly dangerous winds in north-west LA could spread blazesTwo large blazes and two smaller ones continue to burn – the biggest, the Palisades Fire, has destroyed more than 23,700 acres and is 17% contained as of TuesdayAt least 24 people have died in the fires, with 88,000 Californians still under evacuation orders but desperate to return homeLA County Sheriff Robert Luna said another 39 people were arrested overnight as a curfew remains in place across evacuation order areas One church told the BBC a third of their congregation have lost their homes while a family said their home is now “just a big pile of ash” with just the chimney remainingThis video can not be playedNew wildfire breaks out in Ventura CountyEdited by Rorey Bosotti and Neha GohilWe’re pausing our live coverage of the ongoing fires ravaging parts of LA for the time being. Here are the main developments from today:If you want to learn more about the crisis gripping LA, you can find our visual analysis of how the fires spread here.Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s California home could be close to the edge of an extreme fire zone.The couple live in the town of Montecito in Santa Barbara county – which is located around 160km (99 miles) north-west of Los Angeles.Although the wildfires have not reached Montecito, it is close to a large swathe of LA under a red flag warning by the National Weather Service (NWS).The release of the Duchess’ new Netflix show has been postponed to March due to the fires. Last week, Prince Harry and Meghan were seen hugging residents in Pasadena.Christal HayesReporting from Los AngelesExactly one week ago, two of the LA area’s most destructive fires ignited – the Palisades fire and Eaton fire. More than 10,000 homes are gone. At least 24 have died – a toll officials say could rise. Millions who live here are still on edge. Seeing the containment numbers on these fires go up each day has given all of us hope. But now another wind event has all of us on pins and needles. Officials warn the next 24 hours will be dangerous and there’s a potential for new blazes to flare up. They’re already warning people in fire-prone areas to leave – even if an official evacuation alert hasn’t been issued. This continued nightmare feels almost inescapable. Everyone seems to know someone who lost a home or is still evacuated and cannot yet return. Images of the crisis are shown on TV news all day. Signs of support now mark billboards across town. It’s the topic of conversations in coffee shops and restaurants.But each day we get closer to this ending – a day when we can focus on healing and rebuilding our communities. “We will rebuild Los Angeles,” Mayor Karen Bass declared on Tuesday.By Jake HortonSome Republicans have circulated a video of President Biden saying: “People impacted by these fires are going to receive a one-time payment of $770.”Another widely viewed post drew comparisons between that offer and the $500m aid package for Ukraine announced last week, external.The $770 commitment – which the White House says has cost around $5m so far – is part of a much larger relief effort. It is intended to help victims meet immediate costs for things like food and medicine.Other forms of direct help are available: fire victims can claim for two Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) grants , externalworth $43,600 each.Fema says it has around $27bn available to spend on disaster relief, and that this is enough to respond to the LA wildfires.The US has given around $85bn in assistance to Ukraine, according to the Kiel Institutes’, external tracker. While that figure is significantly higher than what the federal government has spent on the LA fire response so far, it is important to note that sum has accrued since early 2022.With the LA relief effort still ongoing, no one can say with any certainty what the eventual bill for the federal government will be.The press conference ends with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (Fema) Regional Director Robert Fenton Jr speaking about the help available to people whose homes have been damaged or destroyed.He addresses false information circulating about what aid is available and instead points people in the direction of the two cash grants from the aid agency, which are both worth $43,600.The news conference is now over. We will bring you a summary of the key developments soon so stick with us. Horvath is still giving an update on the wildfires in Los Angeles. She says a number of measures will be passed via an LA county emergency proclamation later this afternoon. These will include measures to prevent price gouging – including on rent and housing options – and to stop people being taken advantage of during this disaster.”These will not be tolerated,” she says.Under the proclamation, a local health emergency will be declared and measures will be introduced to ensure the continuity of education for displaced students. There will also be opportunities for people to secure financial support and resources, she says. As we wrote earlier, thousands of Los Angeles residents displaced by the wildfires will soon find themselves facing the daunting challenge of finding somewhere to live amid LA’s competitive housing market – already one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath is next up to speak at the conference. She says rescue workers are giving the Palisades fire “all we’ve got”.The situation will be particularly dangerous over the coming 24 hours, she adds, due to the high winds expected to hit the area.Horvath urges people in the area to make preparations in case they are ordered to evacuate at short notice, while schools in Malibu are being closed as part of readiness efforts.Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass is now speaking at the conference given by officials. Bass says she took an aerial tour of California and describes the destruction from the LA fires as “unimaginable until you actually see it” .She confirms that on Monday she signed an executive directive that will lay the groundwork for rebuilding efforts.”We want to begin to think about how we rebuild the massive destruction that I saw from the air, we don’t want people burdened by red tape and bureaucracy, so my executive directive addresses that,” she says.She says she does not want people to be “burdened by red tape” and the directive will take immediate action to make 1,400 habitable units available.She says the two disaster relief centres will help people provide documentation like drivers licenses, and there will be medical and mental health support available.Dr Anish Mahajan is speaking about the public health response to the fires, in particular air quality.He says strong winds could disperse dust and ash from the fires over the coming hours and days, potentially contaminating the air.Mahajan urges people to wear face masks as ash is potentially very hazardous and can cause lasting damage if it makes its way into the respiratory systems.He reminds people that make-shift coverings may not offer sutable protection.LAPD chief Jim McDonnell is up next with an update on missing persons. He says that, of the 34 people that were reported missing on Tuesday morning local time, 21 people were found safe.He says, of the 13 people missing, two were likely found dead but needed to be identified, while 11 remain unaccounted for.LA County Sheriff, Robert Luna, is now giving an update on search and rescue operations. He says 3,654 properties in the Altadena area and 1,800 in Eaton have been reached so far.Teams are starting to look for remains in the Palisades area too, he says.He adds that no human remains were found yesterday and “hopefully that happens again today”.LA County Sheriff, Luna, is now reminding people that a curfew from 18:00 to 06:00 will go into effect for areas under an evacuation order.”If you do not live there, have any business there, I say this every day, don’t go,” he says, adding arrests are being made for those who violate this order.Luna stresses: “I don’t want to make arrests, please stay away from there.”He confirmed 39 arrests were made over night in the LA County area, including 33 in the Eaton fire area. The arrests include nine for curfew violations, two for flying drones and 11 for burglary.For Palisades there were a total of six arrests – three for curfew violations and three for burglary.Stay with us as we continue to follow the news conference by officials on the wildfires across Los Angeles. LA County Sheriff Robert Luna warns people that the next 24 hours are “very dangerous” amid the risk of forecasted winds further fuelling the fires.He says 88,000 people are still under evacuation orders. That’s a decrease on the number we’ve seen in recent days, Luna says, but remains very significant. We’re still hearing from Kristin Crowley, head of the fire service, who goes on to thank those who have expressed care and concern for firefighters.“Our firefighters and first responders are
standing strong, they hold their heads up high and they will continue to work
hard for you,” she says. She confirmed that the Palisades fire is currently at 23,713 acres, 17% containment, with 5,200
personnel assigned. The Hurst fire is at 799 acres and is 97% contained.”Firefighters will continue to work tirelessly throughout the
day to contain the fires,” she says.We are now hearing from officials and emergency service chiefs who are speaking at a press conference about the wildfires across Los Angeles. Kristin Crowley, head of the fire service, says aerial surveys have been carried out to judge the scale of the fires and the damage. She says this information will be used to decide how best to carry out recovery operations.She also expressed her “heartfelt” thanks to firefighters from Mexico who are assisting with efforts.We are following the conference so stay with us for further updates. California’s forestry and fire protection agency, CalFire, says the wildfires have now burnt through 40,588 acres of land – with the Palisades Fire causing the worst of the damage so far.The blaze has claimed 23,713 acres, with the graphic below showing how much of London and New York would be affected if a similar wildfire were to happen in the two cities.The US National Guard is a military reserve forceMore than 1,850 National Guard troops – which is part of the US armed forces – will help firefighters battle the LA fires, authorities have confirmed, external.Guard members from California, Nevada and Wyoming have been activated and multiple aircraft will be deployed to drop fire retardant from the air.The United States Air Force also confirmed today that the California Guard will also help local law enforcement and emergency response, external; this will include maintaining order, assisting with search and rescue, clearing routes and medical support.The California fire protection agency CalFire has released an update on the four fires still burning across LA.It says the Palisades Fire – the first and biggest – has burned through 23,713 acres and is 17% contained – up from 14% at the previous update.The Eaton Fire has swallowed up 14,117 acres and is 35% contained, up from 33%.The much smaller Hurst Fire (799 acres) has been almost completely contained, at 97%.The newest Auto Fire which began last night has burned through 56 acres and has not been contained at all. However Ventura fire crews say the fire has been stopped from advancing forwards.Containment describes the progress firefighters make in preventing the spread of the flames. It doesn’t mean the fire has been put out, but that the spread has been stopped. So for example 17% containment means fire crews have established barriers around just 17% of the fire’s perimeter.Matt TaylorBBC WeatherAs the day begins, Santa Ana winds are already
starting to pick up on higher ground especially. Wind gusts of over 60mph
(97km/h) have been recorded on the higher parts of the San Gabriel mountains.There’s also a noticeable breeze picking up along
the Highway 5 corridor, south of Santa Clarita.However, for many populated areas, winds remain
light for now with barely a breeze in Low Angeles itself. Crucially for those
close to the Palisades Fire, winds are light and are not reach the levels of
last week.With a red flag warning from the National WeatherService now in effect and winds expected to increase throughout the day, “extremely critical fire-conditions” remain.Neighbours have swapped anecdotal accounts of watching listing prices increaseThousands of LA residents displaced by the wildfires will soon find themselves facing the daunting challenge of finding somewhere to live amid LA’s competitive housing market – already one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country.Despite California’s anti-price gouging and rent stabilisation laws, some have raised concerns that no one is monitoring LA rents, and residents searching for somewhere to live have spoken to the BBC about the anxiety of seeing rents increase as they recover from the devastating fires.”What’s available is not nice at all and the rents have gone up a lot,” says Michael Storc, who lost the home he owned in the fire.Jessica Heredia, a realtor based in the high-end Brentwood neighbourhood, showed the BBC a database used by realtors to track fluctuations in rent prices and found several high-end listings jump several thousand dollars in rent this week.© 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
