California wildfires

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LA Fire Chief Keeps Job After Ripping Mayor's Administration

Karen Bass calls Kristin Crowley in, but everyone says the chief wasn't fired

(Newser) - After a meeting so long that Mayor Karen Bass missed her Friday night media briefing on the crisis, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley emerged still in the job despite blaming the administration's budget cuts for the failure to contain the raging wildfires. Bass said this week that the...

Blind Former Child Actor Dies in LA Fires
Former Child Actor
Killed in LA Fires

Former Child Actor Killed in LA Fires

The Australian actor was blind and had cerebral palsy

(Newser) - A former child actor is tragically among the victims of the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. Rory Sykes, who was on the British TV show Kiddy Kapers in the '90s, died at his family's home in Malibu on Wednesday, according to his mother, Shelley Sykes. He was 32....

Smoke From LA Fires Is Especially Dangerous

Hazardous chemicals likely released as fire rips through urban areas

(Newser) - "Wildfires in California aren't all wild anymore," the Wall Street Journal reports, meaning it's not just trees and brush going up in smoke. The fires burning throughout Los Angeles County have decimated urban areas, charring roads, homes, and commercial buildings, sending out particles likely to be...

Powerball Winner's Mansion Destroyed in Palisades Fire

Newish billionaire Edwin Castro loses $3.8M luxury home in Malibu

(Newser) - Edwin Castro's good-luck streak has ended. The California man—who won $2.04 billio n in a 2022 Powerball drawing, scooped up tens of millions of dollars' worth of luxury real estate, and won a lawsuit alleging he wasn't the rightful owner of the winning Powerball ticket—has...

Why the Hydrants Ran Dry in LA
Why the Hydrants Ran Dry in LA

Why the Hydrants Ran Dry in LA

'You could fill a Rose Bowl with water and it wouldn't be enough water'

(Newser) - Fire hydrants ran dry as crews battled the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles Tuesday night—and while critics have blamed California's water management policies, officials say infrastructure simply wasn't designed to cope with the scale of the emergency. Those who "designed the system did not account for...

As Homeowners Evacuate, Criminals Move In

20 suspected looters arrested around Los Angeles

(Newser) - Los Angeles may be burning, but law enforcement officers are still doing their jobs, arresting at least 20 people on suspicion of looting in the last few days. "Shame on those who are preying on our residents during this time of crisis," LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said...

Unauthorized Drone Takes Firefighting Plane Out of Action

Canadian 'Super Scooper' was hit while fighting Palisades Fire in Los Angeles

(Newser) - An aircraft fighting the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles was taken out of action Thursday after it was hit by a drone that wasn't supposed to be there. Authorities say the Canadian "Super Scooper" aircraft was damaged but landed safely after a drone strike in restricted airspace, CNN...

Fire Victim's Last Words: 'I'll Be Here Tomorrow'

5 fire victims identified, including man found with hose in his hand

(Newser) - At least 10 people have died in Los Angeles County's raging wildfires—including five who've been identified—and the stories of their last moments are harrowing.
  • Victor Shaw, 66, died defending his family home of 55 years in the Montrose area, where his "charred body" was found
...

Arson Suspect Arrested Near Newest LA Fire

Authorities say blazes have destroyed more than 10K structures

(Newser) - The two biggest wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area this week have burned at least 10,000 homes, buildings, and other structures, officials say. The Palisades Fire, the largest of the fires, was declared the most destructive in Los Angeles history when it had burned around 1,000 structures. County...

Steve Guttenberg Jumped Into Action When Wildfire Hit
Steve Guttenberg's
Home Survives
Wildfire
UPDATED

Steve Guttenberg's Home Survives Wildfire

He earlier spent hours moving cars to clear the way for fire trucks in Pacific Palisades

(Newser) - Steve Guttenberg returned to his Pacific Palisades neighborhood Thursday to find what he estimated to be 25% of the homes in his community burned, though his block had been spared. "I've seen people scared, people in wheelchairs, mothers and fathers trying to find their kids, people having anxiety...

Wildfires Force NFL Playoff Game to Move

Rams will play Vikings in Arizona instead of at home

(Newser) - The NFL has moved the Rams' wild-card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings to Arizona after days of devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area, the AP reports. The game will be played Monday night at State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals, in suburban Glendale, Arizona. The...

Everyone in LA County Gets Evacuation Warning (Accidentally)

That's almost 10M people

(Newser) - Increasing panic as yet another wildfire broke out in the Los Angeles area Thursday, an evacuation warning was sent in error to all residents of LA County. After the Kenneth Fire broke out in West Hills, a technical issue caused the emergency alert that was meant only for those impacted...

Los Angeles Fires Could Be the Costliest in US History

Analysts say total losses could top $50B

(Newser) - The wildfires burning out of control in the Los Angeles area are on course to become one of the most expensive natural disasters in US history. The Wall Street Journal reports that JPMorgan analyst Jimmy Bhullar estimates total economic losses at $50 billion, including $20 billion or more in insured...

Hundreds of Inmates Are Fighting LA Fires

They're paid an extra $1 per hour during emergency deployments

(Newser) - Hundreds of inmates are among the firefighters battling the Los Angeles wildfires. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says 395 inmate firefighters have been deployed across 29 crews fighting the multiple out-of-control fires, the Guardian reports. They are among what Gov. Gavin Newsom's office says is more than...

LA Mayor's Ill-Timed Trip May Cost Her

Karen Bass was in Ghana when the wildfires broke out, didn't get back until Wednesday

(Newser) - Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass flew to Ghana on Saturday, just as forecasts at home grew concerning, reports the Los Angeles Times . And though she cut her trip short and returned on Wednesday, Bass is facing harsh criticism for her absence amid what may be the most destructive fire in...

California's Question: Will Insurance Market Survive This?

Major insurers had been canceling policies in wildfire-prone areas for years

(Newser) - The devastating Los Angeles wildfires have left many Californians wondering about the future of a home insurance industry that was already in crisis. Most of California's major insurers cut coverage after wildfires in 2017 and 2018, when they paid out around twice as much in claims and expenses as...

For Los Angeles, 2 More Days of 'Red Flag' Weather

But firefighters report good news on the Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills

(Newser) - The last two days have brought unrelenting news of unprecedented wildfires in California. Weary residents and firefighters, however, still face two more days of high-risk fire weather, reports the Los Angeles Times . Almost all of Los Angeles County will remain under what's known as a red flag warning through...

What to Know About the California Wildfires
What to Know About
the California Wildfires
the rundown

What to Know About the California Wildfires

Even the famous Hollywood sign may be at risk because of latest blaze

(Newser) - As of Thursday morning, the catastrophic wildfires burning through Los Angeles County had killed five people, destroyed nearly 2,000 structures, and forced tens of thousands to evacuate, reports the AP . The Palisades Fire in particular already is the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles. Details:
  • The fires:
...

Thousands of LA Pets Are Now Homeless, Too

Animal shelters, volunteers are struggling to keep up with demand

(Newser) - The wildfire-fueled chaos in Los Angeles extends not just to humans, but also their animals, many of whom were forced out of their homes or left behind as residents evacuated with little time to spare. Jill Tucker of the California Animal Welfare Association, who's been coordinating with more than...

Billy Crystal Loses Home of 46 Years in Wildfire

Palisades Fire and others are devastating Los Angeles

(Newser) - The list of big names impacted by the southern California wildfires keeps growing. The Palisades Fire, mapped at nearly 16,000 acres as of Wednesday night with 0% containment, was burning in an area between Malibu and Santa Monica where many celebrities live. (It is LA's most destructive fire...

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