Tens of thousands of people ordered to evacuate as deadly blazes spread through neighborhoods in Los Angeles – as it happened | California

Key events

Closing summary

We’re now closing this blog to continue our live coverage of the fires in California in a new blog. You can follow along here:

Here’s a recap of what has happened so far today:

At least two people were killed in the Eaton fire, north of Pasadena which has grown to 10,600 acres and has destroyed more than 100 structures. There have also been “a number of significant injuries”, fire officials said, and “tens of thousands of homes” are affected. About 32,500 residents were under evacuation orders, a drop from the more than 50,000 residents evacuated overnight.

President Joe Biden has directed the Department of Defense to rapidly provide additional firefighting personnel and capabilities, including air support, to the state of California. The White House announced in a statement that the president has approved a Major Disaster declaration for California, allowing impacted communities and survivors to immediately access funds and resources to jumpstart their recovery.

“As the fires continue to devastate communities, President Biden is focused on mobilizing life-saving and life-sustaining resources across the region,” it said.

The Palisades fire, west of Los Angeles, has grown to more than 15,000 acres and destroyed more than 1,000 structures, making it the most destructive fire in the city’s history. About 37,000 residents are under evacuation orders.

The Hurst fire, in the San Fernando Valley, is close to 500 acres after erupting on Tuesday night. More than 3,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate the area in Sylmar.

More than 400,000 power customers were without power, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us. Another 440,000 customers could face similar shutoffs depending on weather conditions.

Officials are urging residents across the region to conserve water so there is enough for firefighters to use. Demand was so high that three tanks emptied by Wednesday morning, causing some fire hydrants to dry out.

California governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Tuesday. President Joe Biden warned the recovery “is going to take time” as he attended a briefing with Newsom at a Santa Monica fire station. President-elect Donald Trump blamed Newsom’s environmental policies for the fires.

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About 1.5 million customers are without power in southern California, with nearly a million of them in Los Angeles County, as wildfires continue to rage across the region, according to PowerOutage.us.

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Agencies nationwide are rushing to aid California in its battle against the five wildfires that have broken out near Los Angeles since Tuesday.

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters Wednesday that the California National Guard is adding two modular air firefighting systems, and the Nevada National Guard is preparing two more. The Defense Department has an additional four such planes that it can offer the state, if needed and if wind conditions improve for air support. She added that 10 navy helicopters have been directed to California.

Additionally, the National Interagency Coordination Center, which mobilizes wildfire aid, has dispatched additional firefighters, air tankers and scoopers (which deliver water from nearby lakes and oceans) from neighboring states.

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Updated at 18.41 EST

Palisades grows to more than 15,000 acres

The Palisades fire, which became the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles’ history when it reached 11,802 acres Wednesday morning, has increased in size yet again – now encompassing 15,832 acres.

The fire is confirmed to have destroyed 300 structures thus far, according to CalFire.

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Updated at 16.30 EST

The 30th Annual Critics Choice awards, which were scheduled to take place in Santa Monica on Sunday, have been postponed due to the wildfire in the neighboring Pacific Palisades region of Los Angeles. The awards show will instead occur on 26 February.

“This unfolding tragedy has already had a profound impact on our community,” the Critics Choice award CEO, Joey Berlin, said in a statement. “All our thoughts and prayers are with those battling the devastating fires and with all who have been affected.”

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Updated at 16.48 EST

In a phone call with Joe Biden Wednesday, Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass shared on X that she and the president “discussed an urgent path forward towards recovery for the thousands of families impacted” by the wildfires raging across the city.

The White House confirmed the call, which it says took place as Biden returned to Washington DC aboard Air Force One after attending a briefing in Santa Monica Wednesday morning. Reporters who accompanied Biden could see smoke from the windows of their Osprey aircraft. The ride was bumpy as winds continued to be a challenge in the area.

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Biden approves major disaster declaration for California, with DoD to deploy extra firefighters and air support

President Joe Biden has directed the Department of Defense to rapidly provide additional firefighting personnel and capabilities, including air support, to the state of California.

The White House announced in a statement that the president has approved a Major Disaster declaration for California, allowing impacted communities and survivors to immediately access funds and resources to jumpstart their recovery.

“As the fires continue to devastate communities, President Biden is focused on mobilizing life-saving and life-sustaining resources across the region,” it said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has also approved Fire Management Assistance Grants to reimburse California for firefighting costs last night, it said.

Fema administrator Deanne Criswell is scheduled to travel to California on Friday to assess on-the-ground community needs like additional sheltering options and damage assessments, it said.

“President Biden and Vice President Harris are praying for those who lost loved ones, had property damaged, were injured, and for everyone affected by this and other devastating fires in the area.

“The situation remains extremely dangerous, and the Administration continues to urge residents to heed the warnings of local officials and evacuate immediately if told to do so.”

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Updated at 16.17 EST

Summary of the day so far

Tens of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes as massive, fast-moving wildfires tear through several neighbourhoods of Los Angeles.

Here’s a recap of the latest developments:

At least two people were killed in the Eaton fire, north of Pasadena which has grown to 10,600 acres and has destroyed more than 100 structures. There have also been “a number of significant injuries”, fire officials said, and “tens of thousands of homes” are affected. About 32,500 residents were under evacuation orders, a drop from the more than 50,000 residents evacuated overnight.

The Palisades fire, west of Los Angeles, has grown to 11,802 acres and destroyed more than 1,000 structures, making it the most destructive fire in the city’s history. About 37,000 residents are under evacuation orders.

The Hurst fire, in the San Fernando Valley, is close to 500 acres after erupting on Tuesday night. More than 3,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate the area in Sylmar.

More than 400,000 power customers were without power, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us. Another 440,000 customers could face similar shutoffs depending on weather conditions.

Officials are urging residents across the region to conserve water so there is enough for firefighters to use. Demand was so high that three tanks emptied by Wednesday morning, causing some fire hydrants to dry out.

California governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Tuesday. President Joe Biden warned the recovery “is going to take time” as he attended a briefing with Newsom at a Santa Monica fire station. President-elect Donald Trump blamed Newsom’s environmental policies for the fires.

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The National Hockey League said tonight’s game between the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames has been postponed due to the “devastating effects of the wildfires.”

A makeup date will be announced as soon as it can be confirmed, it said.

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A slew of Los Angeles premiere events have been cancelled due to the wildfires.

Amazon MGM Studios and Universal Studios scrapped the premieres for Unstoppable and Wolf Man, both of which were supposed to take place on Tuesday night.

Paramount and Max cancelled their Wednesday events for the movie Better Man and the upcoming TV show, The Pitt.

“Due to the dangerous conditions affecting Los Angeles we are canceling tomorrow’s premiere of Better Man,” a Paramount spokesperson said in a statement.

“Our thoughts are with those impacted by the devastating fires resulting from these conditions, and we encourage everyone to stay safe and follow guidance and orders from local officials and government agencies.”

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Updated at 15.06 EST

Here are some of the latest images from the newswires showing fierce wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area, fuelled by powerful Santa Ana winds.

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