LA fires live updates: California death toll rises to 24 as Los Angeles fire chief says ready for strong winds

Death toll from fires rises to 24, says coroner
The number of people confirmed dead in fires that are burning through the US city of Los Angeles rose to 24 on Sunday, authorities said.
The County of Los Angeles medical examiner published a list of fatalities without giving details of any identities. Eight of the dead were found in the Palisades Fire zone, and 16 in the Eaton Fire zone, the document said.
Key events
Schools outside fire evacuation zones to reopen on Monday
As of Sunday, more than 100,000 people in Los Angeles county had been ordered to evacuate – down from a previous high of more than 150,000 – while another 87,000 faced evacuation warnings.
Even so, schools except some in mandatory evacuation zones will reopen on Monday, after closing for all 429,000 students in the Los Angeles Unified School District on Thursday and Friday, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced.
However, not all of the county’s school children will be so lucky, with some schools, such as Marquez school pictured below, gutted by the fires.
LA fires could test Getty Center’s claim of being safest place to store artwork
It houses some of the richest treasures of the art world, such as Vincent van Gogh’s Irises, a popular Rembrandt and a priceless collection of paintings, portraits and other works spanning more than seven centuries.
To protect them, the Getty Center in Los Angeles was built in 1997 as “a marvel of anti-fire engineering”, complete with fire-resistant stone and concrete, protected steel, and set in well-irrigated landscaping.
Now, with an evacuation order in place for the Brentwood area of the city in which the museum is housed, and as flames from the deadly Palisades wildfire rage nearby, the Getty’s claim of being the safest place for art during a fire could soon be put to the test.
Read our full report here:
Photograph: FineArt/Alamy
The signboards that have appeared in the aftermath of the wildfires
Tacked up to tree trunks or pitched on the sidewalk, here is a look at the signs that have popped up since the fires began ripping through southern California.
After the Eaton fire, which is only 27% contained, this sign appeared in nearby Altadena. It reads: “We love you beautiful Altadena.”
As fears have grown about looting, some of those affected by the fires have taken to placing written warnings outside their homes, such as this one one, which reads: “Looters will be shot.”
“No Looters,” reads another.
Others affected by the Eaton fires are asking for donations, including cleaning supplies.
A smoky Hollywood sign.
And finally a makeshift sign that reads: “Make Altadena great again.”
Officials warn that strong Santa Ana winds could return
The National Weather Service warned that strong Santa Ana winds could soon return and issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions through to Wednesday.
The winds have been largely blamed for turning the wildfires into infernos that leveled entire neighborhoods around the city where there has been no significant rainfall in over eight months.
What are the Santa Ana winds?
Find out more here:
Robert Mackey
The Oregon State Fire Marshal, Mariana Ruiz-Temple, flatly denied on Sunday that any of the 75 engines the state dispatched to Los Angeles to help fight the wildfires this week had been held up in Sacramento for emissions testing.
“There is misinformation spreading on social media and from some news outlets claiming our equipment had to pass emissions tests and our equipment and firefighters were turned away or delayed. TO BE CLEAR: THIS IS FALSE,” the Oregon fire official wrote on X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk.
On a website dedicated to knocking back viral misinformation about the fires, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office wrote that “out-of-state fire trucks take part in 15 minute safety & equipment inspection to ensure no issues with the vehicle.” When the rumor about emissions testing first surfaced in an unsourced post on X on Friday, the governor’s office noted, “the Oregon firefighting teams were already in the Los Angeles area battling the blazes.”
The false report had been amplified by the conservative activist Dinesh D’Souza in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that was viewed more than 1 million times.
When D’Souza’s shared the false report, he commented, of a false report from the Santa Monica Observer, a site known for posting invented stories, “You can’t make this up!”
The Santa Monica Observer was previously in the news for falsely reporting, in 2022, that David DePape, the man who broke into Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home and attacked her husband Paul with a hammer, was a male prostitute hired by Paul Pelosi. That false report went viral after being amplified by Musk.
Later on Sunday, the Observer removed the false report from its website, with an editor’s note explaining that a local official had complained, “we can’t have people like you posting misinformation during an emergency.”
LA officials warn of price gouging as those displaced by fire seek housing
Los Angeles authorities are warning against scams and price gouging as thousands of displaced families seek new accommodations as a result of the wildfires that devastated whole neighborhoods and forced the evacuation of others.
In a press conference on Sunday, Los Angeles county sheriff Robert Luna warned against “anyone taking advantage of anyone who’s been victimized already, whether it is burglary looting, or any other crime, whether it’s a scam of some kind that you’re conjuring up to make money off of the poor people that have been involved in this”.
See the Guardian’s full report here:
Death toll from fires rises to 24, says coroner
The number of people confirmed dead in fires that are burning through the US city of Los Angeles rose to 24 on Sunday, authorities said.
The County of Los Angeles medical examiner published a list of fatalities without giving details of any identities. Eight of the dead were found in the Palisades Fire zone, and 16 in the Eaton Fire zone, the document said.
Water safety in the aftermath of the wildfires
Mark Pestrella, director of the LA County Public Works, issued a warning about water safety on Sunday, where he was speaking at a news conference about the Eaton fire.
LA had suffered “a major impact” to its water system, he said, with agencies collaborating to restore safe water supplies.
“Currently all five water agencies are under a direct no use order, which means that no one in the burned area should be using the water,” he said, “That includes bathing and drinking.”
“The water is contaminated at this point and not being treated to state standards.”
LA fire evacuees told no chance of return until at least Thursday
Tens of thousands of people forced from their homes by enormous fires raking Los Angeles will not be able to return for at least four days, officials said Sunday, as reported by Agence France-Presse.
Frustrated evacuees have formed lines at checkpoints hoping to get into evacuation zones created for the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, whose massive blazes razed whole neighborhoods.
Many are desperate to get back to homes they had to flee with just a few moments’ notice to pick up medicines or clothes they did not have a chance to grab.
Others simply want to find out if their houses have survived.
But Los Angeles county fire chief Anthony Marrone said Sunday that gusting winds forecast this week mean the fire emergency is far from over.
“They can’t go home, simply because it’s not safe,” he told a press conference.
“It’s our collective priority… to be able to get residents back in their homes just as quickly as possible.
Newsom eases building restrictions to help rebuild
To help expedite the monumental rebuilding effort ahead, California governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Sunday temporarily suspending environmental regulations for destroyed homes and businesses.
The California governor ordered the state’s tough environmental laws and permitting requirements to be suspended to help wildfire victims rebuild their homes and businesses, with costs so far placed at $135bn to $150bn over 10 years, according to AccuWeather.
Private forecaster AccuWeather has estimated the damage and economic loss at $135 billion to $150 billion.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has offered to send help to California
Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is ready to assist those affected by the devastating wildfires in California, and 150 Ukrainian firefighters are ready to go.
“Today, I instructed Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs and our diplomats to prepare for the possible participation of our rescuers in combating the wildfires in California,” Zelenskky said in a post on X.
“The situation there is extremely difficult, and Ukrainians can help Americans save lives. This is currently being coordinated, and we have offered our assistance to the American side through the relevant channels. 150 of our firefighters are already prepared.”
Zelenskyy’s offer of assistance comes three days after Donald Trump Jr., son of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, responded to the Los Angeles wildfires by blaming Ukraine on social media.
“Oh look of course the LA fire department donated a bunch of their supplies to Ukraine,” Trump. Jr. said in a post on X on 8 January.
The fires that continue to rage
Firefighters have made progress on several fires in California, with the Kenneth fire, which burned just over 1,000 acres, bought under control early Sunday. The Hurst Fire, which has destroyed 799 acres, is 89% contained.
But two fires continue to rage. Cal Fire, California’s department of forestry and fire prevention, reports the Palisades fire is 11% contained, and has consumed almost 24,000 acres; while the Eaton fire is 27% contained and has burned more than 14,000 acres.
Here is a look at the Palisades fire in pictures.
The beachfront along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
Police pass a commercial building destroyed by the Palisades Fire
A view of the Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Estates that was destroyed by the Palisades Fire

Robert Mackey
Despite fears that high winds would make airborne firefighting impossible on Sunday, aircraft did continue to drop fire retardant and water throughout the day. At a news conference on the Palisades fire, California National Guard Maj. Gen. Matt Beevers said that the guard had contributed 11 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, carrying water buckets, and five C-130s equipped with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems, which allow them to drop retardant from an altitude of about 150 feet.
Beevers said that another three C-130s will be deployed on Monday, and noted that “every MAFFS-equipped aircraft in the United States is currently in California supporting this emergency.”
Interim summary
Here’s a look at where things stand:
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The California department of forestry and fire, or Cal Fire, is warning southern California over “critical fire weather” through to Wednesday. In a post on BlueSky, CalFire said: “Life-threatening winds and dangerously low humidity are forecast for much of southern California – from Ventura to San Diego – creating a significant risk of rapid fire spread. The winds will cause increased fire activity.”
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Rob Bonta, the attorney general of California, has warned against scammers attempting to prey on victims amid the wildfires. Speaking at a press conference, Bonta said: “[In] emergencies like this, in addition to bringing out the best in so many, [it] also brings out bad actors who seek to use the trauma, the chaos of moments like this for their own gain.”
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The Hurst fire could have been caused by the failure of electrical equipment belonging to power supplier Southern California Edison (SCE), the company said Sunday in a press release. SCE said it discovered a downed power line at a tower that “experienced a relay” at almost exactly the same time as the first report of the Hurst fire, which is 89% contained and has consumed 799 acres.
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Cal Fire, California’s department of forestry and fire prevention, reports the Palisades fire is 11% contained, and has consumed almost 24,000 acres; the Eaton fire is 27% contained and has burned more than 14,000 acres; and the Hurst fire is 89% contained having destroyed 799 acres.
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A fourth fire, Kenneth, burned just over 1,000 acres before it was brought under control early Sunday.
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The unofficial death toll from the fires remains at least 16, although officials acknowledge it is certain to rise. At least another 16 people are missing, according to Los Angeles county sheriff Robert Luna, who said search and rescue efforts were ongoing.
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Santa Ana winds are expected to pick up again over the next few days and bring more danger to Los Angeles county. Red flag warning will remain in place until at least Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.
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California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom said he will suspend a number of environmental laws to allow rebuilding across southern areas of the state destroyed by the wildfires. He said more than 50 teams of inspectors had been assigned to evaluate all damaged structures, and hoped to complete the work inside two weeks.
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According to Cal Fire, more than 12,300 homes and businesses are known to have been destroyed, mostly in the Palisades and Eaton fires. The number is all but certain to rise.
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Joe Biden will receive an updated briefing later on Sunday in a virtual meeting. The meeting will include vice-president Kamala Harris, the Fema administrator Deanne Criswell, and Randy Moore, chief of the agriculture department’s Forest Service.
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At least 20 arrests have been made for looting. Among them were two burglars who posed as firefighters when entering houses, according to the police.
Cal Fire warns of ‘critical fire weather’ through Wednesday
The California department of forestry and fire, or Cal Fire, is warning southern California over “critical fire weather” through to Wednesday.
In a post on BlueSky, CalFire said:
Life-threatening winds and dangerously low humidity are forecast for much of southern California – from Ventura to San Diego – creating a significant risk of rapid fire spread. The winds will cause increased fire activity.
It went on to warn residents to avoid mowing or trimming dry grass on windy days, not to park vehicles on dry grass, and make sure campfires are completely.
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Los Angeles police chief Jim McDonnell is now speaking at the conference and is echoing earlier warnings from other authorities over the rise in scams amid the wildfires.
McDonnell said:
Educate yourself before you give. Everybody wants to be helpful, wants to donate and wants to be part of the solution. But before you do that, do some homework. Get on the web and make sure the entity you’re given to is actually a legitimate one.
Speaking at the press conference, Los Angeles county sheriff Robert Luna said: “We are not going to de-escalate the number of people that we have out from a law enforcement perspective.”
He added:
“That will stay the same. A couple of other factors: I want to re-emphasize that we do have a curfew still in effect for the impacted areas that goes from 6pm till 6am… Simply stay out of the areas if you are not a first responder or have emergency business there.
I know there’s a lot of folks trying to get back to their houses. We are very empathetic and sensitive to those needs, but your safety comes first. A lot of these areas still look like they were hit by a bomb. There are live electrical wires, gas lines and other hazards. We want to make sure you’re safe, not to mention the health hazards that come with that information.”
Kristin Crowley, the fire chief of the Los Angeles fire department said: “With the impending winds, we got to pay really, really close attention to this.”
She added:
This wind event is approaching us, and it’s approaching us very, very quickly. I want to reassure you that your LAFD, all of our regional partners, every single agency that has come from up and down this state and outside the state, we are ready …
Now, what do we need from the community? … We need you to stay informed. Please stay informed. With trusted news and official updates, be prepared to evacuate. We keep going back to that, but with this next wind event, [we] got to stay informed follow all evacuation warnings and orders.