10 people have now died in the wildfires spreading across Southern California
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Fires continue to rage on in Southern California, as tens of thousands of acres of land have been decimated, and the flames have been partially contained.
What you need to know
- Ten people have died due to the fires, the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed. Identification may take several weeks, the examiner said.
- About 180,000 people have had to evacuate and another 200,000 people are under evacuation warnings, the LA County Sheriff’s Department said.
The latest on the fires | What’s been lost | The forecast | How to stay safe
Keep reading for more information, and check back throughout the day for updates.
The fires
More than 35,000 acres have been burned, with the Palisades and Eaton fires driving the destruction, according to the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
“Unfortunately I think the death toll will rise,” LA Sheriff Robert Luna said. “I hope I’m wrong. But I think it will rise.”
About 8,000 personnel are responding to the fires from local, state, out-of-state and federal agencies, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
The Los Angeles Unified School District closed its schools throughout the week, and will continue to do so Friday.
The NBA has postponed a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets to an unannounced date, while the NFL has moved a game between the Vikings and Rams from Inglewood, Calif., to Glendale, Ariz.
Twenty people have been arrested for looting in LA, a number Luna said is likely to go up.
The forecast
Wind speeds have slowed down some but are “will still be strong enough to be of concern” in the next few days, with a range of 20 to 60 miles per hour until Friday morning, the National Weather Service said.
The latest on the fires | What’s been lost | The forecast | How to stay safe
The losses so far
More than 10,000 structures have been destroyed, according to Cal Fire.
On Thursday, AccuWeather, a commercial company that provides data on weather and its impact, increased its estimate of total damage and economic loss to the region at between $135 billion to $150 billion.
How to help/stay safe
Trying to stay safe in a wildfire? There’s an app that can help What to do — and not do — when you get home after a fire evacuation How to keep yourself safe from wildfire smoke Resources for SoCal fire victims, evacuees and first responders
The California Newsroom is following the extreme weather from across the region. Click through to LAist’s coverage for the latest.
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