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Today β€” 12 January 2025Main stream

Los Angeles braces for stronger winds as wildfires continue to spread

Firefighters fight the flames from the Palisades Fire burning the Theatre Palisades during a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The fast-moving wildfire is threatening homes in the coastal neighborhood amid intense Santa Ana Winds and dry conditions in Southern California.
Firefighters fight the flames from the Palisades Fire during a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025.

Apu Gomes/Getty Images

  • Wildfires are ravaging the Los Angeles area, spreading rapidly due to dry and windy conditions.
  • The fires have burned through over 40,000 acres. Officials report that at least 24 people have died.
  • Analysts estimate damages caused by the fires may top $50 billion β€” breaking previous state records.

Across Los Angeles, a series of wildfires fanned by the powerful Santa Ana winds have been leveling homes in the area for nearly a week, leaving a path of record-breaking destruction in their wake.

The largest of the fires, ripping through the wealthy enclave of the Pacific Palisades, is just 11% contained as of Sunday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). It is moving toward the densely populated neighborhood of Encino in the San Fernando Valley. About 30 miles northeast, the Eaton Fire, which is now 27% contained, is threatening the city of Altadena.

Over 40,000 acres have burned in four separate blazes, and the LA County Medical Examiner has reported 24 deaths related to the fires so far.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Sunday the fires would likely be the worst natural disaster in US history, noting that the death toll is expected to rise.

"I think it will be in terms of just the costs associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope," Newsom told NBC's Meet the Press. "I've got search and rescue teams out. We've got cadaver dogs out. And there's likely to be a lot more."

Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna said during a Sunday morning press conference that over 100,000 residents near the Palisades and Eaton fires are now under evacuation orders, and authorities have told another 87,000 to be ready to leave at any time.

The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning early Sunday morning for the mountain areas near the Hurst and Eaton fires. Additionally, the National Weather Service issued a high wind watch for the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area from Monday evening to Wednesday afternoon. It affects mountain areas near the Kenneth and Palisades fires.

"We're expecting north, northeast wind gusts anywhere from 35 to 55 miles per hour, maybe locally stronger on Tuesday, very low humidity, and again, the vegetation is still very, very dry," NWS meteorologist Rich Thompson said during a Sunday afternoon press conference. "That leads a recipe to produce some very critical fire weather conditions."

Dennis Burns, a fire behavior analyst for the California Incident Management Team, said during a Sunday afternoon press conference that, in addition to fanning the existing flames, the anticipated winds over the coming days increase the risk of new fires breaking out.

"With the predicted winds, we could potentially see spot fires up to two miles away, maybe even farther," Burns said.

A representative for the electric services company Southern California Edison said on Saturday afternoon that more than 50,000 residences were without power.

Local water districts have also issued numerous water advisories, warning residents not to drink or use the water, which may be contaminated with debris from the fire. Air pollution levels have also remained high in many parts of the city.

Helicopter aerial view of the Palisades fire in Los Angeles.
Helicopter aerial view of the Palisades fire burning near Mountain Gate Country Club with Brentwood and Pacific Palisades visible in the background on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025.

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Amid the chaos, residents have also faced opportunistic looters burglarizing empty properties, inaccurate evacuation orders sent out in error through the county's emergency alert system, and rapidly spreading misinformation online regarding evacuation zones and the causes of the fire.

Analysts from JPMorgan have estimated that the blazes tearing through the region may lead to about $50 billion in total economic losses β€” including over $20 billion in insured losses, Business Insider previously reported. If the estimates prove to be accurate, the damage caused by the current fires would be significantly more severe than the 2018 Camp Fires, which racked up $10 billion in insured losses.

The state has, in recent years, been subject to a mass exodus of major insurers, including State Farm. The company announced in 2023 that it would stop accepting new home insurance policies in California, citing risks from catastrophes.

Palisades Fire

The Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades area north of Santa Monica has burned through over 23,700 acres and is 11% contained as of Sunday afternoon, according to Cal Fire.

The cause of the fire, which started on Tuesday morning, is still under investigation.

Over 5,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed. Officials have confirmed that more than 420 homes in Malibu and the Pacific Palisades have been incinerated.

A home burns during the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025.
A home burns during the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025.

AGUSTIN PAULLIER/AFP/Getty Images

The wealthy enclave houses many celebrities who have now lost their homes, including Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, and Milo Ventimiglia.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office has reported eight deaths related to the Palisades fire so far.

Eaton Fire

The Eaton Fire, which has impacted the Pasadena-Altadena area since it began on Tuesday, has now swept through more than 14,100 acres, according to Cal Fire. The blaze is 27% contained.

"The firefighters have made good progress coming up the west side of the shoulder of the fire," Ernie Villa, an operations section chief for the California Interagency Incident Management Team, said during a Sunday afternoon press conference.

However, he said, as wind conditions are expected to worsen in the coming days, firefighters will have their work cut out for them to keep the area safe.

Villa added: "In my career, I've never seen the amount of devastation and destruction that exists here. So a lot of work. It's going to be long-term."

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during a press conference on Sunday morning that more than 7,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed by the Eaton fire.

Firefighters battle the Eaton Fire in strong winds as many homes burn on January 7, 2025 in Pasadena, California
Firefighters battle the Eaton Fire in strong winds as many homes burn on January 7, 2025, in Pasadena, California

David McNew/Getty Images

Sixteen deaths have so far been attributed to the Eaton Fire, according to a Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office report.

Other fires

While the Palisades and Eaton fires have grown to be the largest in size, additional smaller fires have been reported throughout the region.

The Hurst Fire, impacting the northern part of the San Fernando Valley, started late Tuesday night and has spread to about 800 acres. According to Cal Fire, it is 89% contained. The evacuation order for the area was lifted on Thursday afternoon, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said on Thursday.

The Kenneth Fire, now 100% contained, has covered just over 1,050 acres across Los Angeles and Ventura counties after starting on Thursday, per Cal Fire. The evacuation orders related to the blaze have been lifted.

Further North, the Lidia Fire broke out Wednesday in the Angeles National Forest and burned 395 acres in three days before being 100% contained, Cal Fire reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Before yesterdayMain stream

Disneyland brings back SoCal ticket tier to lure locals

The Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland.
Disneyland is again offering special pricing for Southern California residents.

MediaNews Group/Orange County Register/Getty Images

  • Disneyland is again offering special pricing for Southern California residents to lure in locals.
  • The lower pricing tier β€” a 3-day, 1 park-per-day ticket for $199 β€” is available through March.
  • The promotion comes as the park faces criticism over its large crowds and long wait times.

Disneyland is bringing back a special ticket pricing tier for Southern California residents to lure in locals, even as the park deals with criticism over its large crowds and long wait times.

The lower pricing tier β€” available for people who live in select zip codes in California β€” offers a 3-day, 1 park-per-day ticket for $199 or Park Hopper passes starting at $289. That's compared to 1-day, 1-park tickets, which start at $104 for non-peak dates and can reach over $200 for peak dates like the week of Christmas.

The tickets at the lower pricing tier are now available for reservations from January through March. It is unclear whether the promotion will continue beyond March, but it has been discontinued and reinstated several times since the park stopped offering a lower-price annual pass for Southern California residents.

The promotional rate comes as the Anaheim theme park faces criticism over its large crowds and long wait times. In August, the Disney fan publication Inside The Magic reported wait times at the Princess Pavilion in Fantasyland, where guests can greet actors dressed as their favorite characters, skyrocketed to 300 minutes and that the sheer volume of guests at the park was "beyond manageability."

The company said its California-based theme parks saw increased guest spending and attendance growth at the beginning of 2024 but had less favorable results in the second quarter. By the third quarter, operating income at Disney's domestic parks and experiences was down.

Hugh Johnston, the company's chief financial officer, said Disney's Experiences sector β€” which includes its theme parks and cruise ships β€” had a "slight moderation in demand" during the company's third-quarter earnings report. The report said the Experiences sector's operating income decreased 3% to $2.2 billion.

"But overall, I would just call this as a bit of a slowdown that's being more than offset by the Entertainment business," he said.

CEO Bob Iger said the company's Experiences sector rebounded during its latest earnings call in November.

"In domestic, we certainly feel like the consumer is strengthening," Iger said. "As I mentioned earlier, we obviously saw growth in domestic parks and certainly feel very positively about that. And that's our expectation going forward, is a gradual strengthening in the consumer."

Disney recently unveiled a series of new rides for Disneyland. During the D23 event in August, Disney said it is adding new attractions based on Marvel and that the Avengers Campus would be expanding. Disneyland will also build new attractions based on James Cameron's Avatar franchise.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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