Firefighters race to beat Los Angeles blazes as winds grow, death toll hits 16

Firefighters race to beat Los Angeles blazes as winds grow, death toll hits 16

Firefighters monitor flames in the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 11, 2025, as the Palisades Fire continues to burn. The Palisades Fire, the largest of the Los Angeles fires, spread toward previously untouched neighborhoods January 11, forcing new evacuations and dimming hopes that the disaster was coming under control. Across the city, at least 16 people have died as multiple fires have ripped through residential areas since January 7, razing thousands of homes in destruction that US President Joe Biden likened to a “war scene.” (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)

Firefighters fought on into the night Saturday in a bid to get on top of massive wildfires around Los Angeles as winds ramped up, pushing the blazes towards previously untouched neighborhoods.

At least 16 people were now confirmed dead from fires that have ripped through the city, leaving communities in ruins and testing the mettle of thousands of firefighters — and millions of California residents.

Despite heroic efforts, including precision sorties from aerial crews, the Palisades Fire continued to grow Saturday, pushing east towards the priceless collections of the Getty Center art museum and north to the densely populated San Fernando Valley.

“We’re a nervous wreck,” Sarah Cohen told the Los Angeles Times of the threat to her Tarzana home.

“Every time they drop water, it gets better. But then it gets worse again.”

Footage from the Mandeville Canyon area showed one home consumed, with a wall of flame licking up a hillside to menace others.

A brief lull in the wind was rapidly giving way to gusts that forecasters warned would feed the blazes for days to come.

“Critical fire-weather conditions will unfortunately ramp up again today for southern California and last through at least early next week,” the National Weather Service said.

“This may lead to the spread of ongoing fires as well as the development of new ones.”

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The Palisades fire was 11 percent contained Saturday but had grown to 23,600 acres (9,500 hectares), while the Eaton Fire was at 14,000 acres and 15 percent contained.
Official figures show more than 12,000 structures burned, but Cal Fire’s Todd Hopkins said not all were homes, and the number would also include outbuildings, recreational vehicles and sheds.