9,000 structures damaged or destroyed, 10 killed in LA County fires

Officials said Thursday that at least 10 people were killed and more than 9,000 homes, businesses and other buildings appeared to have been damaged or destroyed in the Palisades and Eaton fires.

About 5,300 of those structures were destroyed in the Palisades Fire, while another 4,000 to 5,000 structures were estimated to be damaged or destroyed in the Eaton Fire burning in the Altadena area.

Officials made the estimate using infrared aerial technology and stressed that it was a preliminary figure. If accurate, it would rank the firestorm among the worst in Los Angeles history in terms of property damage.

“The Palisades Fire is one of the most devastating natural disasters in Los Angeles history,” said Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley.

At a morning news conference, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said the growth of the Eaton fire had been “significantly halted.” By 3:30 p.m., however, he announced that the fire had grown by more than 3,000 acres — to 13,690 acres — as it spread toward the historic Mt. Wilson area with 0% containment.

Don Fregulia, an operations section chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said efforts to protect Mt. Wilson had proven successful and he expected that to remain the case.

“We are actively engaged there,” Fregulia said. “We feel good about what we have to do up there tonight to keep the site safe.”

The Palisades fire grew from about 17,200 acres Thursday morning to 19,978 acres Thursday evening, at which point the fire was 6% contained, according to fire officials.

And on Thursday afternoon, a new fire, dubbed the Kenneth Fire, ignited in Woodland Hills and quickly spread to about 1,000 acres.

At least 10 people have died in the fires, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner. At least four deaths have been linked to the Eaton fire, and on Thursday officials confirmed the first death related to the Palisades fire in Malibu.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said his officers were notified of a death investigation in the 15300 block of Friends Street in the Palisades area around 10 a.m. Thursday. The person’s cause of death is not immediately known.

“We are deeply saddened to learn that we have lost a member of the Malibu community in the Palisades Fire,” Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart said in a statement. “Although the person has not yet been identified, this tragic news weighs heavily on our hearts. On behalf of the City of Malibu, I want to express our deepest condolences to this person’s loved ones. Our community mourns with you at this time of unimaginable loss.”

Authorities say the death toll from the fires is likely to rise.

Sheriff Robert Luna announced Thursday afternoon that a curfew between 18.00 and at 6 a.m. was in effect for areas affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires in an effort to discourage looting, likely to begin Friday.

LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger emphasized that the curfew was not to punish residents, but to keep the area safe. She said the curfew was requested by the Altadena City Council.

Luna also said he had requested support from the California National Guard to help with traffic control, infrastructure protection and looting deterrence for both the Eaton and Palisades fires. Gov. Gavin Newsom later announced he had approved the request, which will bring the total number of National Guard personnel deployed to help with regional wildfires to 8,000.

The Hurst fire burning in Sylmar has charred 771 acres and was 10% contained Thursday afternoon. The 43-acre Sunset Fire that ignited Wednesday night in the Hollywood Hills reached 100% containment Thursday.

Although the winds have subsided, much of Los Angeles County remains under a red flag warning, with forecasters warning of critical fire weather through Friday night.

“This is absolutely an unprecedented, historic firestorm,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. “But we’re all hands on deck.”

Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials are working to get a count of the deaths in the fires, but have been hampered by dangerous conditions in the fire zones. Homicide detectives are investigating deaths at multiple locations, said Nicole Nishida, director of communications for the sheriff’s department.

“The information is still very preliminary, but there have been several deaths in the fire areas,” Nishida said.

Wind speeds eased over the Los Angeles region Thursday morning, with isolated gusts reaching 35 mph in the Malibu area and 58 mph in the San Gabriel Mountains, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

But the reprieve was expected to be short. Winds were expected to intensify Thursday evening.

“We’re getting a little bump in the wind as we get another little push of offshore flow,” Wofford said. “Nothing like we saw (Wednesday) with gusts of 80 to 100 mph, but certainly enough to present some problems for the fires. … It’s kind of like a day on, an off day or something. At least until the middle of ​​next week we’re going to be in that pattern.”

Late Wednesday, the National Weather Service downgraded the fire weather outlook for the region from “extremely critical” to “critical.” Wofford said Los Angeles residents should be prepared for a series of sustained high-wind events that could amplify the fire risk. Humidity remains low and no rain is expected in the coming days.

Although the red flag warning is set to expire Friday night, it is The National Weather Service warned that offshore winds would continue into the early next light winds peaking Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

“This has the potential to be, at least collectively, the costliest wildfire disaster in U.S. history,” UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said Wednesday. “Even just the Palisades Fire itself could be.”

Times staff writer Jenny Jarvie contributed to this report.