Jaimie Ding

Julie Watson

John Seewer

The Associated Press

<p>Millions of Southern Californians were on edge as a final round of dangerous fire weather was forecast for the region on Wednesday, along with a rare warning of a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” for an area near where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/wildfires-los-angeles-los-angeles-area-wildfires-anthony-c-marrone-rich-thompson-6838ca2b6e64412eade9d8ed5940f778">two massive blazes</a>&nbsp;have killed at least 25 and destroyed thousands of homes.</p><div class="paywall-selector"></div><div class="paywall">



<p>Firefighters got a reprieve Tuesday when <a href="https://fortune.com/2025/01/14/los-angeles-strong-winds-ground-firefighting-aircraft-massive-infernos/">winds were unexpectedly light</a> and they were able to make progress battling the two huge Los Angeles area fires and quickly snuff out several new fires.</p>



<p>The <a href="https://fortune.com/company/eaton/" target="_blank">Eaton</a> Fire burning just north of Los Angeles and the Palisades Fire that destroyed much of the seaside LA neighborhood of Pacific Palisades broke out Jan. 7 in conditions similar to what’s expected Wednesday. High winds last week pushed flames at remarkable speed and carried&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfires-embers-spread-9d2eff9cac9d355f906ea5f63ace1957">fire-sparking embers</a>&nbsp;sometimes miles away.</p>



<p>The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings – done when temperatures are warm, humidity is low and strong winds are expected – from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. from the Central Coast 275 miles (443 kilometers) south to the border with Mexico. The “Particularly Dangerous Situation” was in effect for an area that includes parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.</p>



<p>“Key message: We are not out of the woods yet,” the weather service said in a post late Tuesday. “The winds underperformed today, but one more enhancement could happen tonight-tomorrow.”</p>



<p>More than 77,000 households were without electricity as utilities shut off power to prevent their lines from sparking new blazes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A state of alert</h2>



<p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfires-escape-evacuate-senior-citizens-7068811f9be7a03c4932817320d97b73">Weary and anxious residents</a>&nbsp;were told to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice. They remained vigilant, keeping an eye on the skies and on each other: Police announced roughly 50 arrests, for looting, flying drones in fire zones, violating curfew and other crimes.</p>



<p>Of those, three people were arrested on suspicion of arson after being seen setting small fires that were immediately extinguished, LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell said. One was using a barbecue lighter, another ignited brush and a third tried to light a trash can, he said. All were far outside the disaster zones. Authorities have not determined a cause for any of the major fires.</p>



<p>Among nine people charged with looting was a group that stole an Emmy award from an evacuated house, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.</p>



<p>The biggest worry remained the threat from intense winds. Now backed by firefighters from other states, Canada and Mexico, crews were deployed to attack flareups or new blazes. The firefighting force was much bigger than a week ago, when the first wave of fires began destroying thousands of homes in what could become the nation&#8217;s costliest fire disaster.</p>



<p>Kaylin Johnson and her family planned to spend the night at their home, one of the few left standing in Altadena, near Pasadena. They intended to keep watch to ward off looting and to hose down the house and her neighbors’ properties to prevent flareups.</p>



<p>“Our lives have been put on hold indefinitely,” Johnson said via text message, adding that they cannot freely come and go because of restrictions on entering the burn areas. “But I would rather be here and not leave than to not be allowed back at all.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Packed and ready to go</h2>



<p>Residents said they were ready to make a hasty escape.</p>



<p>Javier Vega, who said he feels like he has been “sleeping with one eye open,” and his girlfriend have planned out how they can quickly pack up their two cats, eight fish and leopard gecko if they get orders to evacuate.</p>



<p>“Typically on any other night, hearing helicopters flying overhead from midnight to 4:00 in the morning, that would drive anyone crazy,” Vega said. But figuring they were helping firefighters to keep the flames from threatening their neighborhood, he explained, “it was actually soothing for me to go to sleep.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Preparing for another outbreak</h2>



<p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-wildfires-southern-california-4997fb4d4490fdaa9f2d5cf8cd5f2be7">Planes doused homes and hillsides</a>&nbsp;with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-california-wildfires-fire-suppressant-retardant-ce138f475de856a72eb61ce03af23060">bright pink fire-retardant chemicals</a>, while crews and fire engines deployed to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfires-embers-spread-9d2eff9cac9d355f906ea5f63ace1957">particularly vulnerable spots</a>&nbsp;with dry brush.</p>



<p>Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other officials who were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mayor-karen-bass-la-fires-leadership-99e52cf69cc656ee7e0328c6b609be74">criticized over their initial response</a>&nbsp;expressed confidence that the region is ready to face the new threat. The mayor said she was able to fly over the disaster areas, which she described as resembling the aftermath of a “dry hurricane.”</p>



<p>Winds this time were not expected to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/santa-ana-winds-california-0b2c68cdc29a7c354238c6ccc09c830c">reach the same fierce speeds seen last week</a>&nbsp;but they could ground firefighting aircraft, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.</p>



<p>He urged homeless people to avoid starting fires for warmth and to seek shelter.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wildfires on the rise across LA</h2>



<p>With almost no rain in more than eight months, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fire-devastation-climate-change-santa-ana-winds-a46e2bb6785b1e325f6076fb22c8fcc5">brush-filled region</a>&nbsp;has had more than a dozen wildfires this year,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-fires-things-to-know-winds-f93d41dc901e352b63e86ab67ef7790e">mostly in the greater Los Angeles area</a>.</p>



<p>Firefighters have jumped on small blazes that popped up, quickly smothering several in Los Angeles county, including a blaze Tuesday evening in the Angeles National Forest.</p>



<p>The four largest fires around the nation’s second-biggest city have scorched more than 63 square miles (163 square kilometers), roughly three times the size of Manhattan. Of these, the Eaton Fire near Pasadena was roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildfire-terms-contained-acc21dd0f6824df715caff1e46918eda">one-third contained</a>, while the largest blaze, in Pacific Palisades on the coast, was far less contained.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Searching for victims</h2>



<p>The death toll is likely to rise, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. Nearly 30 people were still missing, he said Tuesday. Some people reported as missing earlier have been found.</p>



<p>Just under 90,000 people in the county remained&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfires-escape-evacuate-senior-citizens-7068811f9be7a03c4932817320d97b73">under evacuation orders</a>, half the number from last week.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hollywood on hold</h2>



<p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/hollywood-awards-season-wildfires-dates-02c35c63084dd76f1719af8142812d53">Hollywood’s awards season</a>&nbsp;has been put on hiatus because of the crisis. The Oscar nominations have been delayed twice, and some organizations postponed their awards shows and announcements without rescheduling.</p></div>

‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ forecast for Los Angeles wildfire zones

<br><br><br><b>The 50 companies most likely to thrive, 5 investing trends for 2025, and more.<br>Read the latest edition of <a href="https://fortune.com/packages/december-2024-january-2025/?&itm_source=fortune&itm_medium=article_tout&itm_campaign=DecJanMag">the magazine.</a><br><br><br>

F-Wire

wildfires

Environment

Firefighters got a reprieve Tuesday when winds were unexpectedly light and they were able to make progress battling the two huge Los Angeles area fires and quickly snuff out several new fires.

‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ forecast for Los Angeles wildfire zones as fierce winds predicted to return

‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ forecast for Los Angeles wildfire zones | Fortune

/2025/01/15/particularly-dangerous-situation-los-angeles-wildfire-fierce-winds-predicted/

JP Mangalindan

‘Police Academy’ star Steve Guttenberg grapples with Pacific Palisades fire and reality of staying behind 

/2025/01/14/steve-guttenberg-pacific-palisades-fire/

Christopher Weber

Los Angeles set to be pummeled again by strong winds that could ground firefighting aircraft in threat to area’s fight against massive infernos

/2025/01/14/los-angeles-strong-winds-ground-firefighting-aircraft-massive-infernos/

Eleanor Pringle

Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez

Jason Oppenheim at US Weekly and Pluto TV's Reality Stars of the Year event

Jason Oppenheim says greedy LA landlords are illegally price gouging amid devastating fires — ‘nobody should be profiting’

/2025/01/14/jason-oppenheim-los-angeles-price-gouging-wildfires-interview/

Abigail Bassett

Altadena’s small business owners reckon with an unclear future after Eaton wildfire: ‘My staff is calling and asking, “What can I do to help?” I just don’t have those answers right now’

/2025/01/14/altadena-small-business-owners-eaton-wildfire/

Jason Dearen

An Edison truck parked in front of a utility pole in California

New lawsuit alleges Edison equipment sparked one of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires that destroyed over 7,000 homes

/2025/01/13/edison-california-wildfires-lawsuit-eaton-fire-sce/

Beth Greenfield

Some protein powders contain cancer-causing toxins, new study shows, and these 3 types are the worst offenders

https://fortune.com/well/2025/01/13/protein-powder-cancer-lead-cadmium-toxins/?itm_source=parsely-api

Alicia Adamczyk

Homeowners in California could pay a surcharge of $1,000 or more if FAIR Plan runs dry

https://fortune.com/2025/01/13/california-homeowners-surcharge-fair-plan/?itm_source=parsely-api

Jason Ma

An investor who spent $27 million on a mansion that burned down on 'Billionaire's Beach' only expects $3 million from insurance 

https://fortune.com/2025/01/13/la-fires-real-estate-investor-robert-rivani-malibu-mansion-insurance-payout/?itm_source=parsely-api

Prarthana Prakash

Spain will tackle its 'rich landlords and poor tenants' problem by hiking property taxes to 100% for non-Europeans

https://fortune.com/europe/2025/01/14/spain-housing-crisis-property-taxes-non-eu-residents/?itm_source=parsely-api

Chris Morris

Planters will pay you $45,000 a year—plus health benefits, travel expenses and a 401(k)—to drive the NUTmobile around the country

https://fortune.com/2025/01/13/planters-nutmobile-driver-search/?itm_source=parsely-api

Hallie Steiner

Walgreens CEO says anti-shoplifting strategy backfired: 'When you lock things up…you don't sell as many of them’

https://fortune.com/2025/01/14/walgreens-ceo-anti-shoplifting-backfired-locks-reduce-sales/?itm_source=parsely-api