California wildfires live updates: At least 5 dead, over 100,000 forced to flee

A man in Pacific Palisades captured on video how he and his elderly relative escaped nearby raging fires. Aaron Samson used his phone to record the drama. They were directed by law enforcement to leave their car on a street where traffic had stalled and a number of vehicles were abandoned.

Samson's father-in-law appeared unstable for a moment when he emerged into the air, which was laden with smoke. The son gathered his father’s rolling walker and they made their way up the street, where a “good Samaritan” gave the men a ride to safety in Santa Monica.

The video also captures a distraught women yelling into her cellphone, apparently devastated by the destruction.

Nearly 330,000 customers are still without power in in Southern California.

The latest figures provided by the tracking website PowerOutage.us show there were 329,457 power outages at 4:15 p.m. local time (7:15 p.m. ET).

That represents a significant drop. Only hours earlier in the afternoon, the website said about 1.5 million Southern California customers were without power.

Part of a home collapsed during a live report, an in-the-moment example of the wreckage that has engulfed this town.

Gusting winds of up to 100 mph make it feel like a hurricane in a city. Instead of wind, it's fire you have to worry about.

And because of that combination, the extent of the damage to the community, which was hit “hard and fast,” will be devastating.

The stress firefighters are experiencing is substantial. They are trying to save more structures, which could lead to more embers, which could lead to more fires, which lead to more tears.

Owners of horses and other large livestock can take their animals to the Pico Rivera Sports Arena for free emergency shelter, the city announced today.

The city said owners can take their animals to the arena at any time and someone will be there to assist them.

Pico Rivera is on the southern edge of the San Gabriel Valley, where the Eaton Fire is burning in the Pasadena and Altadena area, north of the city. The sports arena, on Pico Rivera’s northeast edge, is known for its concerts, rodeos and other Hispanic cultural events.

“The Pico Rivera Sports Arena is uniquely equipped to provide safe, secure and accessible boarding for horses and other large animals,” Mayor John Garcia said in a statement. “It gives families peace of mind as they prioritize their safety and recovery.”

Three schools suffered “significant damage” in the Palisades Fire, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles school district said.

Palisades Charter High School, Palisades Charter Elementary School and Marquez Elementary School were all damaged, the spokesperson for Los Angeles Unified School District said.

NBC Los Angeles recorded the scene as flames roared from multiple structures at Palisades Charter High School last night.

“We are currently working with local authorities and emergency response teams to assess the situation and determine next steps. Plans are being developed to minimize disruption to instruction,” the school district spokesperson said in an email.

Firefighters battling the Eaton Fire, which is burning homes in the Altadena area, say they are having issues with hydrants or low water pressure at hydrants.

“Right now, we’re finding most of them are down or low-pressure, and we’re having to commit resources to provide water,” Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Josh DeJournett said as they worked to combat a fire at a home today.

“If we had a hydrant for this building, we might have been able to save the back half,” he said.

Airbnb is working with 211 L.A. to offer free temporary housing for people affected by the wildfires and forced to evacuate their homes.

The company said all stays will be fully funded by Airbnb and the guests who are offering their homes.

To be eligible, you must have been displaced from your home, you must live in an evacuation zone, you must have an active Airbnb account, and you must be 18 years old.

More information on the program can be found here.

Jennifer Schweitzer had to pull her husband away from staring at the burning Altadena home he had loved and lived in for decades. But even then, the two couldn’t bear to go too far away.

“We didn’t even leave,” she told NBC Los Angeles reporter Lolita Lopez. The couple moved to the parking lot of a nearby supermarket, hoping for the best. 

“It’s gonna pass. We’re gonna still have our home,” she said she recalled thinking. But fierce winds pushed them farther away from the home her husband, 49, grew up in and inherited once his father died. 

As flames further engulfed the home that the couple raised their own children in, Schweitzer and her husband relocated to another parking lot that was still close by.

“We still could not leave,” Schweitzer said. “You know that’s — that’s our home.”

The NFL is monitoring wildfires in Southern California as the wildcard playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams is scheduled for Monday night.

The playoff game is slated for 8 p.m. at the Rams’ home field, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

“The NFL continues to closely monitor developments in the area and will remain in contact with both clubs and the NFLPA,” the league said in a statement.

However, the NFL added, if the game has to be relocated, it will be moved to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The stadium is home to the Arizona Cardinals.

Mendy Piekarski, a rabbi at a Chabad Lubavitch synagogue and cultural center in Topanga Canyon, rushed to evacuate people from the facility today.

He and his colleagues called the parents of 25 preschool students there, and within an hour, all the kids had been picked up and driven out of the evacuation zone.

Piekarski, 27, said he and his wife loaded the Chabad’s sacred Torah scrolls into their car before they left the building, wrapping the bundles of parchment in tallit, a fringed garment worn as a prayer shawl.

“We cherish them very much, and they’re very valuable, so we made sure to bring them to a safe location outside Topanga,” he said. “We would have loved to take other holy objects, like prayer books, though we didn’t have enough time. It was about taking the most important things: our family and the Torah scrolls.

“Of course, it would have been nice to also take some photo albums and pictures,” he added. “But safety is the main thing.”

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell called the roaring wildfires in the Los Angeles area a “very dynamic and dangerous situation” and said she would be in Southern California on Friday to assess the damage.

She told Nicolle Wallace on “Deadline: White House” that authorities are trying to determine what the “maximum impact” could be to get victims of the wildfires the resources they need.

Criswell compared the wildfires in Southern California to the 2023 wildfires in Maui that killed more than 100 and destroyed the former capital of the kingdom of Hawaii. Criswell said resources provided to California may end up topping resources provided to Hawaiians affected by the wildfires.

The number of people killed in the Eaton Fire has risen to five, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

Additional details about the deaths were not immediately available.

Earlier today, officials said the blaze had killed two people.

The Eaton Fire has burned about 10,600 acres since it started yesterday and is 0% contained, according to Cal Fire.

Two additional brush fires broke out today, one in a community between two mountain ranges in Los Angeles County and one in Ventura County west of Los Angeles, officials said.

The fire in Ventura County, the Olivas Fire, was around 28 acres and the Ventura County Fire Department said that firefighters have stopped its forward progress.

“Crews will be remaining on scene for the next few hours mopping up hotspots within the fire footprint,” the Ventura County Fire Department said on X.

The Lidia Fire broke out in Los Angeles County in a region between the Sierra Pelona Mountains and San Gabriel Mountains. It has burned around 50 acres and has begun burning into the Angeles National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service said.

That fire was reported off of Soledad Canyon Road in Acton, a community of around 7,000, the Angeles National Forest said.

The Woodley Fire, which broke out today in the San Fernando Valley, was previously reported. That fire has burned around 30 acres, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

The three fires are all zero percent contained, according to Cal Fire.

The raging wildfires in the Los Angeles area prompted the postponement of the 30th annual Critics Choice Awards in Santa Monica, organizers said today.

The award ceremony that was scheduled for Sunday will now be held on Jan. 26, organizers said in a statement. The location of the event will remain at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica and will broadcast live on E!. It will also be available on Peacock the next day, organizers said.

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

The Music Center in Los Angeles said in a statement it has closed its buildings to the public "out of an abundance of caution" amid the wildfire threat in the area.

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre and Walt Disney Concert Hall have been closed, the center said. There were no performances or events on the campus today.

The center said it hopes to resume normal operations tomorrow.

KNBC helicopter reporter Julia Deng describes frightening turbulence and extreme winds as she provides an aerial view of California's raging Palisades Fire.

The city of Los Angeles needs more than 60 new fire stations to meet its average daily need and is not equipped to deal with a catastrophic wildfire emergency of this level, a local official said today.

In a live interview with KNBC, Councilwoman Traci Park criticized the city’s lack of resources and manpower to fight even everyday fires, saying she was frustrated with the “chronic underinvestment in our critical infrastructure and our public safety partners.”

“The demands that we are putting on our public safety resources is absolutely untenable, and we can’t continue this way,” Park told KNBC reporter Hetty Chang.

A report recently found that the city needs at least 62 new fire stations, Park said, adding that there are 100 out-of-service fire engines and ambulances at the mechanics yard because “we don’t have mechanics to repair them.”

“We are not staffed to deal with this level of emergency or this number of emergencies spread around a geographic footprint like we have here in the city, in the county of Los Angeles,” Park said. “And as we look forward to the World Cup in 2026 and the Olympics in 2028, this is a painful and tragic reminder of how much work we have ahead.”

Firefighters battling the Palisades Fire are not only fighting the roaring inferno, but also facing challenges with water pressure, an official said today.

Erik Scott, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department, posted on X about problems firefighters are facing getting water to the flames.

Scott said in the post that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power proactively filled all available water storage tanks, including three 1 million-gallon tanks in the Palisades area.

"However, water availability was impacted at higher elevations, which affected some fire hydrants due to limited replenishment of water tanks in those areas," he said. "The extreme demand caused a slower refill rate for these tanks which created a challenge for our firefighting effort."

Wildfires across Los Angeles may affect clinic and outpatient appointments at Keck Medicine of USC, it said in a post on X. The Southern California medical system consists of hospitals, clinics and primary care providers.

"We continue to monitor the situation to ensure the safety of our patients and staff," Keck Medicine said on X.

All Keck Medicine of USC hospitals are open, and all patients with affected appointments will be contacted with additional information, the hospital system said.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the impact of the fires and winds in the city “devastating” in a statement today on X, adding that she spoke with President Biden “and discussed an urgent path forward towards recovery for the thousands of families impacted.”

She thanked Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., “for your continued support for our city.”

UCLA Health hospitals treated over 20 patients for fire-related injuries, officials said today.

As of 11 a.m. local time, 21 patients were treated and released, and one patient remained hospitalized in critical condition, according to UCLA.

NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz drove through Pacific Palisades and provided an up-close view of the wildfire carnage that roars through the town.

Through thick segments of ash, Schwartz points out homes and an apartment building that were engulfed in flames. Landmarks were destroyed, like the once-majestic Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church and Gelson’s Department Store.

The next mile showed utter devastation, including a prominent home that sat on a hill overlooking Sunset Boulevard. Most people had evacuated, although there were a few people riding bicycles.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom told NBC News the closest thing he's seen to the fires blazing in his state was the deadly fire in Paradise, but at this stage, just 24 hours in, he said he's never seen anything like this, in size and scope.

"It's stunning. Nothing comes close," he said.

Newsom said they'll need to start focusing on clean-up efforts soon, but said right now "it's about keeping people safe, making sure people are heeding the evacuation orders."

He said the Palisades Fire is 0% contained and noted the "great challenge" intense winds are bringing to fighting the fires.

More than 1.5 million customers are without power in Southern California as wildfires burn throughout the Los Angeles area, according to PowerOutage.us.

The outage numbers leapt from the 400,000 without power about two hours prior.

In Los Angeles County alone, about 957,000 customers were without electricity, according to the site.

A handful of L.A. restaurants are preparing food for first responders in an effort to help the community amid the devastating fires.

Yeastie Boys Bagels, a popular food truck known for its New York-style bagels, posted that it is going to evacuation centers in Pasadena, Pacoima, Westwood and downtown Los Angeles to provide meals. The business posted a series of images of people receiving the food.

Jon & Vinnys, another L.A. staple, wrote a note on Instagram saying it is "working on ways to support you, our amazing first responders and the broader community."

"At this time, all our restaurant locations are open for those seeking refuge and regular dine-ins," the Italian restaurant wrote in its post. "Wait times may be a bit longer (only a bit!) as some of our teams are preparing food for first responders."

Le Great Outdoor, a restaurant in Santa Monica, wrote on its Instagram story that today it is "focusing on helping fire fighters and first responders." The business asked people to purchase a firefighter meal on the restaurant website, noting that for every meal purchased, the restaurant will provide an additional meal.

The Palisades Fire put a serious “strain” on the city’s water system after three million gallons were used in just 15 hours, according to officials.

Sheila Kelliher, captain of the Los Angeles Fire Department, detailed the challenges of putting out the fires and explained how the department decides to deploy resources.

The NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, managed by CalTech and located in La Cañada Flintridge, will be closed to employees and visitors until Monday, according to to the lab's emergency website.

Deep Space Network operations normally conducted at JPL have been moved offsite to a backup operations center. A "small number" of critical personnel remained on site this morning.

Although the lab has sustained some wind damage, there are no damages as a result of the ongoing fires, JPL Director Laurie Leshin said in a post on X.

The Los Angeles Kings home game against the Calgary Flames scheduled for tonight has been postponed, the NHL team said, as fires in the region continue to burn amid high winds.

“Our hearts are with the entire Los Angeles community,” the team said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working First Responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community.”

A new date was not announced. Tickets for tonight’s game will be valid for the rescheduled game, the team said.

President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for California that will clear the way for federal funds and resources to be accessed in recovery efforts, according to the White House.

The declaration will allow "survivors to immediately access funds and resources to jumpstart their recovery," a White House statement said.

Biden is "focused on mobilizing life-saving and life-sustaining resources across the region," the statement added, as the president is "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."

Alongside the president's declaration, FEMA has approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant to reimburse California for its firefighting costs overnight.

Startling video captured the grounds of the Villa de Leon on fire. The historic mansion has been featured in many high-profile music videos and commercials. The mansion is located near the Getty Villa, an educational center and art museum housing a vast collection of Ancient Greek and Roman works and artifacts.

During a briefing today with President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Tony Marrone announced that states including Arizona, Nevada and Washington are deploying their resources to assist.

"We requested 250 additional engines into L.A. County with 1,000 personnel. We also are using our compacts with other states like Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Firefighters from those regions are on their way down to Los Angeles County right now to assist us," he said.

The Oregon Fire Marshall also posted that they have mobilized 12 strike teams from the Oregon fire service to the wildfires. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also shared that he has offered to send resources from his state, which he shared on X.

At a briefing at a Santa Monica firehouse this afternoon, President Joe Biden called the ongoing wildfires in Southern California "astounding."

"We're prepared to [do] anything and everything as long as it takes to contain these fires and help reconstruct, make sure that we get back to normal," the president said at the briefing.

Biden said that he plans to sign a declaration today to "provide for everything the federal government can do," adding that he's directed the Department of Defense to "rapidly provide additional firefighting personnel and capabilities."

"It's going to be a hell of a long way. It's going to take time, federal government is here to stay, as long as it needs," he added.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who attended the briefing, told the president he had "next level appreciation" for the federal support.

Actor and Pacific Palisades resident Steve Guttenberg is on the ground trying to offer a helping hand, attempting to move abandoned cars and help lost pets.

“I’m OK … yesterday morning everything was fine. About 10 o’clock, this crazy fire was occurring,” he recalled, saying the winds were “the hardest I've ever seen in my life.”

“People are really panicking and really scared right now. Most people have evacuated their homes. But the fire is really raging. These winds are terrible, the winds are so hot,” he told MSNBC’s Chris Jansing. “It was like a volcano.”

He recalled trying to save a dog in the street last night and seeing grocery stores and the local high school on fire.

He urged people to help each other through the devastation.

“I want to use this moment to tell people in a crisis, anytime there’s a crisis and you abandon your car, leave the keys in the car so guys like me can move the car to the curb so that fire fighters can get through with fire trucks,” he said.

“We should use kindness and this compassion not only during a crisis but we should remember to use it all the time,” he added.

There are over 400,000 customers without power across the state of California as of 11:15 a.m. local time (2:15 p.m. ET), according to poweroutage.us, which tracks power outages across the United States.

In Los Angeles County alone, there are currently over 260,000 customers without power.

Mayor Karen Bass said all Los Angeles Fire Department air operations in the Palisades have resumed after they were halted due to extreme weather conditions overnight.

“LAFD helicopters are back to dropping water and hundreds of firefighters continue to be on the scene to help respond to the #PalisadesFire and #HurstFire,” she wrote on X. 

The Palisades Fire has grown to 11,802 acres, as of 11:30 a.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET).

L.A. Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley briefed President Biden on the new numbers this afternoon. 

"High, high, high winds. I've never seen the winds (like this) in my 25 year career," she said. "It's an active, active fire fight with our firefighters, and they're doing the very best to protect our people within this area."

President Joe Biden appeared at a Santa Monica fire station this afternoon to receive an in-person briefing on the wildfires raging across the Los Angeles area.

He was joined by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In a live broadcast, KNBC’s Alex Vasquez said he saw about 30 people who decided not to evacuate or had left the area but then came back in an attempt to save their homes. 

One of them was a woman who said she returned after seeing her neighbor’s home in flames while watching TV. “I’m determined to save my home,” she told KNBC. 

Another neighbor told the news station he was “exhausted” after helping his neighbors douse their homes with water. “Just trying to do what I can,” he said.

Vasquez said firefighters do not want homeowners to do this. He said the area is barricaded and that law enforcement has been telling people to turn around when they arrive.

Maria Shriver, former first lady of California and ex-wife of Arnold Schwarzenegger, posted a lengthy social media statement sharing that everything in her local community is now gone from the fires.

“Heartbreaking, devastating, beyond belief. Everything is gone. Our neighborhood, our restaurants. All our friends have lost everything. We have evacuated, but are safe. But people have lost everything, “ she wrote.

She also encouraged her followers and community members to “stay safe, stay out of harms way, and allow firefighters do what they can to help those who need immediate assistance.”

Other celebrities have also chimed on, including actress Mandy Moore, who shared that she’s unsure whether or not her home is still standing.

“Grateful for the kindness of friends that we had a place to land last night. Trying to shield the kids from the immense sadness and worry I feel,” she wrote in an Instagram story earlier today.

"The Hills" actress Heidi Montag posted a Tik Tok video where she shared that she lost her house in the fire. As she got emotional, she thanked her supporters for thoughts and prayers, saying, “Thank God we are safe.”

The Getty Villa, the educational center and art museum in the Pacific Palisades, remains “safe and intact,” according to a post from the museum on X, though grounds surrounding the museum have burned. According to the museum, structures have been unaffected and staff and collections are “safe.”

“We deeply appreciate the tireless work and dedication of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department, and other agencies, and also the small team of Getty staff who have remained on-site at the Villa supporting emergency response efforts,” the museum posted on X.

The Getty Villa, which houses a vast collection of Ancient Greek and Roman works and artifacts, will be closed at least through early next week. The Getty Center in Brentwood will also be closed at least through Sunday out of caution, the museum said.

The Eaton Fire, which sparked around 6:30 p.m. yesterday in the Pasadena and Altadena area, has grown to 10,600 acres as of 10 a.m. local time (1 p.m. ET).

Earlier this morning it was at 2,227 acres.

Meanwhile, the Hurst Fire in Sylmar stands at 505 acres with 0% containment. 

The Los Angeles wildfires could result in $10 billion of insured losses, according to a preliminary review by J.P. Morgan’s insurance analysts.

The report’s authors caution that the figure could change, but note that “the 2018 Camp fire in Butte County, CA caused economic losses of about $15 billion and insured losses of roughly $10 billion (inflation-adjusted).”

They write that the Butte Fire impacted over 150,000 acres and more than 18,000 structures, compared to current industry estimates of 3,000 impacted acres and 13,000 structures for the current Palisades Fire.

However, the Pacific Palisades area is a very affluent region of Los Angeles County and, according to the J.P. Morgan analysts, has a median home price of more than $3 million, compared to Butte County’s $500,000. 

If you’ve been told to evacuate, officials advise you do so immediately — don’t wait.

If not, a small amount of preparation can make a huge difference in the event that things change. And, again, don’t wait to be ordered to evacuate if you feel you’re at risk.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire, says residents should plan on a place to meet other members of their household, know who to call and how to safely flee in the event that you’re forced to evacuate. Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stress that everyone in your household should be in agreement on a single plan.

Read the full story on how to prepare and what to pack in your "go-bag."

KNBC reporter Michelle Valles spots a group of neighbors in Altadena, California, working to stop flames spreading between homes as they wait for fire crews to arrive.

The Woodley Fire that erupted in the San Fernando Valley around 6 a.m. stands at 30 acres. 

It was initially reported to be 75 acres, but that number was revised after monitoring.  

“Firefighters are still working diligently to contain the fire and protect structures in the affected area,” a 9 a.m. local time (12 p.m. ET) Cal Fire update said.

NBC News’ Liz Kreutz reports from Malibu on the devastation created by the out-of-control wildfires that are destroying parts of Southern California.

In a statement this morning, Vice President Harris said she has been briefed on the fires and is urging residents to listen to local officials.

“Doug and I are praying for our fellow Californians who have evacuated, and we are thinking of the families whose homes, businesses, and schools remain in harm’s way. We are deeply grateful for the heroic first responders who are risking their own safety to fight the flames and help keep communities safe,” she wrote.

Her press secretary, Ernesto Apreza, also confirmed in a statement that Harris’ home has been evacuated and no one was home at the time.

Public information officer for Cal Fire David Acuña joins José Díaz-Balart to explain the latest on the efforts to fight the wildfires and what residents could do to stay safe.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has deployed the California National Guard to assist in responding to the fires in Palisades, Eaton and Hurst.

The California National Guard and Cal Fire “have a unique partnership unlike any other state — skilled, trained personnel with vast wildfire fighting experience,” Newsom’s press office wrote in a post on X.

Guard members will join the “1,400+ boots already on the ground.”