Officials across the Los Angeles area had plenty of warning that a deadly confluence of wind and drought was coming. A bad fire was likely. Did they do enough to get ready?
President Trump has blamed a lack of water during the Los Angeles fires on California decisions that benefit a small fish. Yet experts say he’s confusing different issues.
The fire at a Bronx apartment building on Jan. 10 was the third to break out in recent years at a property owned by Ved Parkash, who has been sued by tenants over building conditions.
Meteorologists said there was a chance the winds would be as severe as those that fueled the Palisades and Eaton fires, but that different locations would likely be affected.
A former Army pilot. An aging helicopter. Furious winds. The race to put out the Eaton fire tested Los Angeles County’s night-flying firefighters like never before.
The Carrs have made their life’s work honoring the dreams of their precocious son, who died suddenly at 16. They rescued some mementos and others survived when their Altadena home burned to the ground.
As a disastrous fire continues to burn on the city’s west side, some are calling Chief Kristin Crowley to account: Why wasn’t the city better prepared?
In the hills above Pacific Palisades, there is crime scene tape and scattered debris, clues to what may have caused the initial fire that eventually raged through thousands of structures.
Hiring a private fire crew costs thousands of dollars a day, and most work through government contracts or with insurance companies. Some wealthy property owners are calling them in directly.
Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles has been criticized for being out of the country when the wildfires broke out. Three years ago, she promised in an interview to cut back on her world travel and focus on the city.
A nonprofit runs the app with volunteers and full-time employees, including retired firefighters and dispatchers, to provide live updates on fire conditions.
“There were too many houses to protect, and not enough engines,” one fire captain in Los Angeles said. Though fire officials say they were well-prepared and simply overwhelmed by the elements, questions are being raised about whether the intensity of modern fires requires a new playbook.
Sheila Morovati’s Pacific Palisades home was spared, but her neighborhood was decimated in the Los Angeles fires. For her, climate change looms over the tragic losses.
Forecasters warned that a significant Santa Ana wind event this week could help wildfires spread quickly and erratically. Utility companies said they may pre-emptively cut off power to some customers.
The president recognized five officers who responded to a 2023 school shooting at a private Christian school in Tennessee, and veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars.