A new fire broke out in San Bernardino County east of Los Angeles, on Wednesday, burning 30 acres (12 hectares). Two other fires in Southern California were largely under control
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Walls remain from a building which burned following the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, US, January 15, 2025. Source: Reuters.
Red Flag warnings advising of extreme wildfire danger expired across the Los Angeles area late on Wednesday, but forecasters warned that dry and windy conditions will persist on Thursday, and that the threat of blazes remained.
The National Weather Service added that the respite for fire-ravaged Los Angeles will be short, with high chances for renewed Red Flag warnings – when ideal fire conditions of high winds and low humidity dominate – starting again on Sunday.
Some 6.5 million people remained under a critical fire threat, after the fires consumed an area nearly the size of Washington DC, resulting in at least 25 deaths so far, authorities said.
Firefighters on Wednesday confronted persistently strong and dry winds fueling two giant wildfires that have terrified Los Angeles for eight days, testing the resolve of a city upended by the worst disaster in its history.
Officials urged residents to remain vigilant and be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice with peak wind gusts forecast to last through Thursday afternoon.
“We want to reiterate the particularly dangerous situation today. Get ready now and be prepared to leave,” County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath told a press conference on Wednesday.
Forecasted winds of up to 70 mph (112 kph) did not materialise on Wednesday. Still, firefighters reported winds of 30 to 40 mph (48 to 64 kph) combined with low humidity in a region that has failed to receive any appreciable rain in nine months, meaning fire threats remain.
The fires have damaged or destroyed more than 12,000 homes and other structures, and forced as many as 200,000 people from their homes. Some 82,400 people were under evacuation orders and another 90,400 faced evacuation warnings as of Wednesday, County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Entire neighborhoods have been leveled, leaving smoldering ash and rubble. Many homes only have a chimney stack left standing.
Some 8,500 firefighters from the western United States, Canada and Mexico have kept the growth of the fires in check for three days.
The Palisades Fire on the west edge of the city held steady at 23,713 acres (96 sq km) burned, and containment nudged up to 19 per cent – a measurement of how much of the perimeter was under control. The Eaton Fire in the foothills east of the city stood at 14,117 acres (57 sq km) with containment at 45 per cent.
A fleet of air tankers and helicopters dropped water and fire retardant into the rugged hills while ground crews with hand tools and hoses worked to contain the fires.
Aerial firefighters – or fire bombers – operate without precision equipment or autopilot, just a pilot’s view through the windscreen and his experience.
“I call it ‘feeling the force,’” said pilot Diego Calderoni, from a New Mexico-based contractor, referring to a mystical energy in the Star Wars films.
Hundreds of visiting firefighters and emergency workers are