Los Angeles wildfires live news: ‘Extreme of extreme fire weather scenario’

  • Firefighters are battling several blazes in the Los Angeles area as US officials urged residents to prepare for the return of strong winds that could “potentially cause explosive fire growth”.
  • Authorities say progress is being made to contain the major Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires, which have killed at least 24 people and destroyed more than 12,000 homes.
  • The containment efforts come as the National Weather Service issues a “red flag warning” for much of southern California, and warns Ventura and Los Angeles counties face “the extreme of extreme fire weather scenarios”.
  • Donald Trump has sharpened his criticism of California’s handling of the wildfires as California Governor Newsom urged the US president-elect to witness the damage in person.

Trump again pushes debunked water claim:
US President-elect Trump has again used false claims to attack California Governor Newsom. In a post on Truth Social Trump called on the state official to “release the water”.“What is wrong with you?” Trump added in his characteristic all caps. Earlier in the day, Trump called on Newsom to “release the water from up north”.Politifact has debunked several claims made by Trump throughout the fire, including the charge that Newsom’s state water management could have opened more northern water reserves to the south of the state.Experts have repeatedly said there is enough water in southern California for fighting wildfires, with shortages caused by city infrastructure not designed to respond to such a large blaze.

  • US senator condemns looting during fire evacuationsCalifornia Senator Adam Schiff says there’s “a special place in hell” for looters who targeted homes evacuated because of the raging blazes.Flanked by law enforcement personnel, he added, “and if the folks behind me have anything to say about it, there’ll be a special place in jail for you, too.”Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said 10 people have been arrested in connection with the fires: nine for residential burglaries of fire-stricken areas; and the other for arson for allegedly attempting to set a tree on fire in the city of Azusa, 20 miles (32km) northeast of downtown LA.
  • TRUMP IMPEACHMENT
  • Senator Adam Schiff speaks to the media on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC [File: Jacquelyn Martin/AP]
  • Map: The fires burning in Los Angeles
  • As bad as it gets’Los Angeles firefighters are bracing for strong winds that could fuel two monstrous wildfires that have already burned an area the size of Washington, DC.Gusts could hit 75mph (120km/h), said David Roth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center. More than 8,500 firefighters attacked the fires from the air and on the ground, preventing the conflagrations at either end of Los Angeles from spreading overnight.“This setup is about as bad as it gets,” Los Angeles city fire chief Kristin Crowley told locals.Officials said California state authorities are positioning firefighting crews in Los Angeles as well as other southern California counties under elevated fire danger. As of Monday, more than 92,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders – down from a previous high of 150,000.California Wildfires
    Apple Valley fire district captain, Manuel Lafarga, centre, and firefighter James Lyons hose down hotspots [John Locher/AP]
  • A mayor thanks Disney, Netflix and Hilton for relief fund donations
    Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, thanked several organisations, including the sports marketing and talent management company Wasserman, for donating millions of dollars to help those whose homes have been devastated by the wildfires.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/1/13/los-angeles-wildfires-live-news-death-toll-in-california-rises-to-24

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