California fires updates: Death toll in Los Angeles fires rises to 24

Thousands of firefighters are battling the sprawling wildfires across LA.

ByJon Haworth, Emily Shapiro, Nadine El-Bawab, Meredith Deliso, Ivan Pereira, David Brennan, and Bill Hutchinson
Last Updated: January 12, 2025, 8:26 PM EST

At least 24 people are believed to be dead and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple fires, fueled by severe drought conditions and strong Santa Ana winds, continue to rage across Southern California, leaving fire crews scrambling to contain the historic destruction.

Thousands of firefighters are battling several sprawling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County. The largest, the Palisades Fire, in Pacific Palisades, has scorched nearly 24,000 acres, destroyed thousands of structures and is 11% contained. The Eaton Fire, in Altadena, now stands at more than 14,100 acres and is 27% contained. The Hurst Fire near Sylmar has burned 799 acres and is 89% contained.

About 105,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders and another 87,000 are under evacuation warnings.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Jan 24, 2025, 2:20 pm

Tracking ongoing California wildfires

The Palisades Fire, which began in the Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, has destroyed or damaged more than 6,000 structures. It's covered more than 23,000 acres and is at 87% containment.

The Eaton Fire north of Pasadena also began on Jan. 7 and has destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 structures. It's burned over 14,000 acres and is at 95% containment.

Jan 12, 2025, 6:04 PM EST

Power shutoffs in evacuated areas will remain until Jan. 15

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone shared an update on Sunday for residents of evacuated areas, saying conversations about lifting the mandate will not begin until after the red flag warning is lifted on Wednesday.

"I ask all Los Angeles County residents in the wildfire-prone areas to understand that the necessary public safety power shutoffs are important for our collective fire safety in preventing the next wildfire natural disaster," Marrone said.

LA County is under a red flag warning until 6 p.m. on Jan. 15, according to the National Weather Service.

Jan 12, 2025, 6:00 PM EST

Palisades Fire: Over 23,700 acres and 11% containment

Los Angeles County fire officials shared an update on the progress being made to combat the vast Palisades Fire on Sunday afternoon, saying there has been a significant decrease in "active flame activity."

The Palisades Fire had spread 23,713 acres with 11% of the massive blaze contained as of 2:30 p.m. local time, according to Cal Fire.

"We have crews in there, continuing to work the fire’s edge," Cal Fire Operations Chief Christian Litz said. "There's still heat. You're not going to see a lot of flame activity out there. It's looking really good, as far as activity, but there's still heat all along the edges."

Jan 12, 2025, 4:44 PM EST

Newsom deploys another 1,000 California National Guard members to help fight LA fires

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Sunday afternoon that he is deploying another 1,000 members of the California National Guard to Los Angeles County to help battle the raging wildfires.

The new deployment will increase the number of state National Guard members on the fire lines to 2,500, personnel, Newsom said.

“The men and women of the California National Guard have been on the ground since day one -- not only fighting fires, but also assisting with public safety efforts in communities devastated by these fires," Newsom said in a statement. "We thank them for their efforts to keep our communities safe."

Jan 12, 2025, 4:18 PM EST

Biden to hold virtual briefing on LA wildfires

President Joe Biden is expected to hold a virtual briefing on Sunday afternoon on the efforts being taken to battle the raging wildfires in Los Angeles County, White House officials said.

Biden is to receive an update on the federal resources being deployed to suppress the fires, the White House said.

Those joining the president for the virtual briefing, according to the White House, will include Vice President Kamala Harris, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

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