LA fires: international crews arrive to battle raging wildfires as evacuations spread
Source: The Guardian
Sat 11 Jan 2025 18.53 EST
First published on Sat 11 Jan 2025 10.14 EST
Thousands of firefighters labored to contain the four wildfires raging across the Los Angeles area Saturday before evening winds forecasted to fan additional flames.
In the Pacific Palisades, incarcerated firefighters dug wide trenches across the charred landscape in an attempt to contain the blaze, which has been called the most destructive in the city’s history. Across the city, in Altadena, first responders dragged hoses over burned-out cars and rebar. In Mandeville Canyon, where the Palisades fire grew closer to the UCLA campus – prompting evacuation orders across the Brentwood and Encino neighborhoods – firefighting planes dropped water and retardant in an aggressive aerial attempt to halt the fire’s path.
As containment levels on the two largest fires grew, city and county officials began the difficult work of identifying victims. At least 16 fatalities were confirmed in the Palisades and Eaton fires Saturday, according to the Los Angeles county medical examiner. Relatives have begun coming forward to identify the victims, which include several older Black residents of Altadena who refused to leave their longtime homes, and multiple people with disabilities or receiving home healthcare, who could not be moved, including an Australian former child actor.
The Los Angeles county sheriff, Robert Luna, said the death toll is expected to rise as authorities deploy search dogs to devastated areas. The sheriff also said 13 people are reported missing.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/11/california-wildfires-evacuation-orders-expand
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I haven't slept right since they started. I lived in LA long enough that it is still in my head. I can zoom in to the fire maps and feel the curves of the roads under my tires. I think we're just spread out enough that nothing in a single state can really capture attention the same way broadly. Maybe?
I will even sit and watch the live streams of helicopters where no one hardly ever says anything. Just watching the other aircraft, the retardant drops, the water drops, the firefighters using rakes and shovels on the edges. No interviews with anyone, just back and forth in front of the fires, keeping area by area contained.
And finding the absolute most updated sources has become a task that I must complete several times a day.
California. It stayed in my soul when I left and will always be there. 