Firefighters make slow progress on containment, but risk of huge escalation lasts through Wednesday.
Los Angeles Fire Updates
ABC News has LA Fires Live Updates
- Pedro Pizarro, the president and CEO of Edison International, told “Good Morning America” on Monday that the company cannot yet rule the possibility that its energy infrastructure played a role in sparking wildfires now raging around Los Angeles.
- Pizarro said Edison also recorded damage to equipment at the site of the Eaton Fire in the mountains north of Pasadena. “We don’t know whether the damage happened before or after the start of the fire,” he said. “We have about 450,000 customers who we’ve warned they may need to have their power shut off,” Pizarro said.
- Weather officials have issued a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” red flag warning for western Los Angeles County and most of Ventura County beginning on Tuesday at 4 a.m. into Wednesday at noon.
- The Palisades Fire, which began in the Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, has destroyed about 5,000 structures. It’s covered more than 23,000 acres and is at 14% containment..
- The Eaton Fire north of Pasadena also began on Jan. 7 and has destroyed or damaged around 7,000 structures. It’s burned over 14,000 acres and is at 33% containment.
- At least 24 people have died and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple wildfires.
- Severe fire weather conditions — high winds with low humidity — will continue through Wednesday, keeping the fire threat in all of Los Angeles County critical, LA Fire Chief Anthony Marrone warned at a news conference.
- The Eaton Fire has damaged or destroyed over 7,000 structures
- Gov. Gavin Newsom warned late Sunday that the week was beginning with a forecast for a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” for new wildfires, even as the firefight against the several fires still burning continued.
January 12: Governor Newsom Issues Executive Order to Cut His Own Red Tape
No, this isn’t a Babylon Bee Headline. It’s from a Newsom post on X. Grok created the image.
January 11: Let’s Discuss Governor Gavin Newsom’s Los Angeles Fire Fact Check
Dear governor, your own fact list says you are a miserable failure with piss poor priorities. Please apologize, then resign.
January 10: Petition to Recall the LA Mayor Due to Gross Neglect and Mismanagement
The city of LA has a Recall Petition Handbook. It’s time to use it.
It’s hard to know what to say other than best wishes, and recall Governor Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
The recent fires created big fire breaks reducing risks in some areas. It’s looking like the hot areas will be a bit to the north, the Santa Susana river gorge and surrounding passes.
I think our local fire forces and leadership are a bit more ready this go around.
The bigger problem is a different type of preparedness. Most of the residential and business structures are not hardened for fire resistance, instead they have flammable landscaping and exposed flammable building components. 50 years of built up brush is still there in the unburnt areas, and there are very few areas with actual firebreaks between the wildlands and structures. My personal pet peeve is the attic vents combined with the flammable old paper backing on the fiberglass insulation in a lot of the residential structures. Lots of these structures burned down with the fires starting in the attics.
The same type of problem exists in many parts of the country. When I’ve gone to Baja Sur, Mexico I’ve noticed that many of the locals build reinforced concrete block houses with metal roofs. I see very little of that in the gulf coast states because either not allowed by code and can’t get mortgages on non-conforming construction. I personally looked at a nice house in Westchester Cali in the mid 90’s that was built like a bunker. Reinforced concrete construction but I did not buy it because all of the issues I would have experienced with non-conforming construction here in Cali.
Reinforced concrete construction isn’t up to code? WTF do you build homes with in Cali, recycled cardboard boxes?
Residential housing is stick built until 3 stories or more.
this is nationwide in the USA, not just Cali.
Construction materials have been improved, but the codes are like a religious order and must be maintained and enshrined, no new thought allowed.
As screwed up as NYC is, compare this with what is occurring in California.
https://www.dukelabs.com/ForTeachers/NYC_Water_Supply/NYCWaterSupply.htm
Think about the magnitude of engineering that went into developing NYC water supply.
Newsome is out today talking about LA #2
Without proper Water supplies this is delusional in extreme.
As a side note now that election is in rear view mirror, just got our latest electric Bill. 20% increase with basically same usage.
Utility attributed increase to infrastructure cost of delivering power.
Yeah right. Totally believable.
So Newsom is always telling us that California is the 5th largest economy in the world and we should follow their lead in how they govern and live our lives. So why is the 5th richest economy need money from the Feds and encourages donations. Sounds like a spoiled child who spends all his allowance but wouldn’t mind a bailout from his parents. Before the Feds give them any money they should tell Newsom to use all their 37 billion dollars in their rainy day fund.
What really galls me about the SoCal Edison situation is that they utterly failed to learn the obvious lesson from PG&E going BK in Northern California a few years ago, for exactly the same issue: high winds break power line poles, in overgrown woodlands, causing fires that blow with the wind and destroy entire cities. Operating power lines during high winds with a “hope but don’t plan” business model is a recipe not just for financial suicide, but for massive disasters.
Even if turns out to not be true in this case, the fact that they can’t immediately rule it out is telling. The spokesman should’ve been out there saying something like “it couldn’t have been us, we de-energized all equipment at risk once the winds reached 40 mph”. Instead, the big “ummm…” says they don’t have their act together. No wonder the share price is cratering.
Another company to add to my Investment Boycott List…
First lawsuit against them for the Eaton Canyon fire was filed today.
Over here in Newport Beach, CA, we are seeing wealthy Pacific Palisades buyers at the open houses yesterday. This will be a big windfall for current Newport Beach homeowners.
At least until the next arsonist starts a fire there.
No brush there to burn
dont you know its global warming, even the soil is catching fire. you need to make sure you are getting the daily talking points or the crisis will go to waste.
the true face of california, always be ready to profit off the misery of a fellow californian.
The news exploits the tragedy, the real estate business is a vampire sucking the lifeblood out of the citizens. the building authorities in their back pocket, as well as the large land owners like Irvine Ranch, limiting new supply of homes, keeping prices sky high and money locked up in mortgages, extremely expensive mortgages. Money that could be used to create a better California.
Southern California is a trap, its like a beautiful bit of glue that holds you fast while you are exploited and left a mummie with a crack habit and a shopping cart living under an underpass.
you know a colony of screenwriters is scripting a host of Los Angeles fire movies and negotiating with local news stations for raw footage to incorporate.
Its the Los Angeles way, crabs in a bucket, pulling each other back into the misery.
You get what you vote for. ALL of California should burn to the ground. I’m pissed my insurance rates will significantly increase to pay for all the damages due to incompetent government officials. I hope Trump stops ALL Federal help when he gets in office. Let the residents of CA pay for the actions of incompetent government officials.
Wow, such hate from the right. Where are you, Midnight, to set us commenters straight?
I hope, Laura, that you don’t really mean that ALL of California and its citizens burn because they elected someone you don’t like. If so, you’re almost asking for other commenters to be gleeful when you get physically assaulted by someone that witnesses your hatred. None of us should ask for harmful actions or consequences to others.
You misunderstand the new paradigm: War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength.
Thats how we roll now. Get on the bus or go under the wheels.
same as it ever was, the world was lost when World War One was started to destroy the kingdoms and the aristorcracy.
The promise of democracy was always an excuse for a new elite to rule and acquire the spoils of the kings.
everything since has been a Rothschilds fever dream via banking and NGO’s.
the truth died over a century ago.
Then why did leftists celebrate when primarily republican western North Carolina got flooded? Liberals regularly make smug comments about how red State voters deserve suffering from natural disasters. Hypocrite much?
we are a fractured nation deliberately, I wonder why someone wants our country so fractured that we lash out at each other, and despise our own countrymen?
I’m not hoping for ANY humans to be killed. I’m talking about all the land to be burned. It’s sick that we have any deaths. I’m glad there has already been a lawsuit filed. I’m sure there will be many more filed.
Laura, you are not obligated to buy your insurance from companies that also do business in California. Or Florida. Or North Carolina, for that matter.
It’s now trendy again to Do Your Own Due Diligence when shopping. Boycott any company whose policies you cannot stand. I have a list…
Just like insurance rates are likely to increase due to the claims in Florida from hurricanes? But we’ll give Florida a pass since it’s a red state and no one that bought or built a house there knew about the possibility of hurricanes…
I didn’t know Florida hurricanes were caused by Republicans. Idiot.
You need to work on your comprehension ski
Hurricanes aren’t caused by incompetent government officials.
CNBC had some guy from Nuveen, the largest municipal bond money manager (ETFs) trying to calm fears of defaults. Not sure how Palisades or other devastated places are going to be collecting taxes and paying interest on bonds. The fact he had to come on TV and say everything is fine probably means it isn’t.
The Fed or US Treasury will buy all of the bonds at par and tell the issuers “pay us when you can pay us.” There’s no tolerance for financial pain or discomfort in this country anymore. Get real. This is like now-disgraced Meredith Whitney harping about muni defaults in 2010.
@Richard, can you name even one example of a situation where the Federal Government did what you’re suggesting?
To my knowledge, municipal defaults have not been bailed out since forever, and I point out that the U.S. government is broke too.
I don’t think the opportunity for backstopping large-scale municipal bond defaults has presented itself yet in history. However, against policy, the FDIC insured SVB deposits exceeding $250k. That move cost about $16 billion. Politicians don’t care that we’re broke. They’ll issue more debt and the Fed will buy that too if nobody else want to. The U.S. is still the cleanest dirty shirt. Hence, the strength of the dollar.
President Joe Biden has announced that his administration would forgive student debt for more than 150,000 borrowers.
Biden’s total student debt relief has passed $183 billion.
We’re sending a guy in a teddy bear suit to hug away your Biden trauma. Take heart!
Will he have Joe’s night nurse change his depends and get grandpa his oatmeal?
Enjoy paying for them with your tax dollars
I don’t have a problem helping someone out when they suffer severe damage. I do it all the time through my church and the Salvation Army and others. But, when they suffer severe damage due to their historic poor choices and the ignorance and incompetence of their own officials, who they elected over and over, I have a hard time justifying it. It’s like your teenage son blowing his allowance on video games and then comes whining to you for more money. Not a good analog, but it the one that came to mind. Sometimes, you have to learn hard lessons.
Lets put it this way. If the Chicago school board came to you and asked for a contribution (taxes) to pay for a 9% raise for incompetent teachers, would you be all for it?
Except you don’t know what you’re talking about. Do you know how many people vote in these elections? Of course not because you provided no data nor links to data just whined opinions.
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/decision-2024/map-california-2024-2020-presidential-election/3556618/
Out of 40 million people only about 16 million voted the last presidential election. 6 million voted trump, 9 million voted harris. Probably the same at the state level.
Pay more attention at church:
For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? …
It doesn’t matter how many people vote in the elections. You get what you vote for. If you don’t vote then you get what you deserve.
sometimes simple wisdom eludes those who think themselves the wisest.
funnyoldworld aint it?
Straight from the Scriptures. It’s sad to see so much hate and hate-baiting on this blogsite.
not so, rather sadder to see the stifling of honest (however deluded it may sometimes get) dialogue and conversation.
it gives us the ability to point out the flaws in perceptions and understanding of each other.
I would rather wade thru the bile, than sit in a comfy chair watching the controlled news media directing my ire to their chosen talking points.
Since California is fond of claiming they are the worlds 5th largest economy there shouldn’t be any need to help them at all. After all If there was a fire disaster in Germany/Japan/China (the 3 countries other than the US with larger economies than California) they wouldn’t be asking US taxpayers for help.
Quite funny actually.
So ‘rich’ Californians should not be eligible for government help, even though they pay the most into the federal government taxation system?
I’d love for you to revisit this train of thought in two years, after Trump and the Republicans gut government programs to appease all us Americans wanting the deficit to go down. No more FEMA aid to Kansas after a tornado, no more subsidized hurricane insurance for Florida, closed military bases in Texas, no more subsidized agriculture payments to Iowa, reduced WIC payments for Mississippi, etc.
Let’s see how all these California-hating Americans like it when the cheek is turned.
Oh, we’ll help them for sure. That’s because they aren’t really the 5th largest economy other than on paper (most of what they report as GDP is just retail sales to consumers or corporate profits from multinationals like Apple as opposed to actually making things). Because if they really were, the help from the rest of the country wouldn’t amount to a pittance compared to what they could do to help themselves.
I expect the final costs to be much lower than the wild estimates of 100 billion or more. That’s because there won’t be much for lost wages / business claims and those 3 million dollar homes are really 300-400K to rebuild with the rest of the value being in the land (ie located near water which didn’t change).
You really are an intellectual idiot.
name calling is really an act of last resort, when all arguments fail. it usually convinces no one of anything other than the callers lack of abilities to argue their point.
Do you have the same opinion of and vitriol for all Floridians since DeSantis keeps allowing or even encouraging people to build in hurricane zones?
Floridians are God’s people, because their God lives at Mar a Lago. The righteous shall be rewarded, and the blasphemers cast into the lake of fire!
Death choices
California: by fire and crushed in an earthquake then drowned in the following tsunami
Florida; blown away and drowned by a hurricane followed by venomous snakebite then eaten by an alligator or Burmese python depending of which finds you first
Midwest; sucked up into a tornado at a tailgate party before football game
The South; sucked up in a tornado then bitten by snakes and finished off by mosquitos
Northwest: skies grey for so long that you wish that a sasquatch would come by to put you out of your misery
Northeast; some deaths are too horrible to be described in public
Don’t forget being frozen to death in the North by a Polar Vortex storm.
And you forgot meteors, one big one and the insurance will be through the roof!
Kunstlers wit and wisdom o the fire and the fallout from the fire, that is still raging on.
https://www.kunstler.com/p/climate-jeezus-taketh-away?
Kunstler was off-key on that one…
It pisses me off the rest of America may have to pitch in to pay for these entitled morons living in their cesspool of illusion. California truly sucks.
We pitch in for hurricane damage, and tornados, and floods, etc. Natural disasters don’t care about your political views.
Either we’re all in it together, or we’re not.
I agree. There should be all help available, which isn’t always just money. I’ve lived through a natural disaster, more than a decade ago, and FEMA actually did an ok job. Which is why what’s happened in NC is so disappointing such as not helping people bc of their political views. That should never happen.
Pitch in for tornados – yeah, right
Hurricanes and tornados are NOT due to incompetenet choices by government officials. I’m not all in it together for this.
It’s idiocy to build within range of hurricane storm surge, yet millions of people have. Ditto for the river floodplains in most states. Government idiocy is driven by “privatize profits, socialize losses” greed mindsets, and extends coast-to-coast.
It’s debatable whether we as a nation should have to share the cost of having millions of people build along rivers, lakes, the coasts, the plains, in earthquake zones, etc.
But no one should have to share the cost of idiotic local policies of the democrats.
So the people who bought or built houses in hurricane zones didn’t know the risk? Good lord…..
Hurricanes sometimes hit NYC. should no one live in NYC? There is a risk/reward calculus that can be used to infer the frequency of damaging storms. this could be used to map areas for nature preserves and not housing, and to reinforce dikes,levees and ditches and canals to mitigate hurricane damage, though the winds and flying debris cannot be stopped.
we know much more about weather since world war II, when much of modern meterology was developed.
Hardly any of it has been used for planning of housing and development.
we have a useless government that disregards any knowledge that can’t be directly used for war. Thank a banker for the modern world or thank the CIA, oh wait they are the same people.
see State Department and old families, pilgrim society, et al for more details.
Except what happened it Cali wasn’t a natural disaster. It was caused by the democrats who govern there and could have been prevented.
So it’s okay to buy or build in areas with a history of known natural disasters like hurricane zones, got it!
Since California is fond of claiming they are the worlds 5th largest economy there shouldn’t be any need to help them at all. After all If there was a fire disaster in Germany/Japan/China (the 3 countries other than the US with larger economies than California) they wouldn’t be asking US taxpayers for help.
Here here Mish. They must go immediately.