Day 9 of LA wildfires: What’s the latest, who are the victims, and what’s next? | Climate Crisis News

Firefighters in Los Angeles County, USA, are bracing for more strong winds as they continue to battle wildfires.

The Palisades fire is the largest yet. It has been burning for a week. Another fire broke out in neighboring Ventura County on Monday, prompting more evacuation orders.

The total area burned by the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires is about 16,425 hectares (40,588 acres), an area larger than Paris.

Here’s what we know:

What’s the latest on earth?

Number of dead and missing

• At least 25 people have died as a result of wildfires, with eight linked to the Palisades fire and 17 linked to the Eaton fire.
• According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), the Eaton fire is currently the most destructive and deadliest wildfire in southern California, with the Palisades fire the second most destructive.
• The October 2003 Cedar Fire previously held the record for the region’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire in San Diego County, destroying nearly 2,820 structures and killing 15 people.

Active fires:

Three major wildfires are still raging in Los Angeles:

• Palisades fireon the western edge of the city, 9,596 hectares (23,713 acres) burned, with 17 percent containment.
• The Eaton firein the foothills east of the city, it covered 5,712 hectares (14,117 acres) and conservation was 35 percent.

• Hurst fire 323 hectares (799 acres) burned and 97% contained.
• in Ventura County, automatic forest fireIt has expanded to 24 hectares (61 acres from 5 hectares on Tuesday) starting on January 13 and is now 47 percent.

Damage and evacuation:

• About 150,000 residents in Los Angeles County remain under evacuation orders, with more than 700 people seeking shelter in nine facilities.

What is expected on Wednesday?

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles issued a Red Flag Warning for Los Angeles and Ventura counties in effect from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. (11 a.m. to 11 p.m. GMT) Wednesday.

Strong winds are likely to create extreme fire weather conditions, and residents are urged to be alert to the potential for fires to spread quickly, the agency warned in a social media post.

“The main message: We’re not out of the woods yet,” the post reads. “Winds were less severe today, but another surge could occur tonight and tomorrow.”

Red Flag Warnings remain in effect through Wednesday for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, as well as parts of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, according to the agency’s website.

What not to do during a Red Flag Alert?

According to officials, this warning means warm temperatures, very low humidity and stronger winds will combine to increase the risk of fire danger, so the recommendations are:

• If there is no ban on burning in a certain area, all burned barrels must be covered with a heavy metal cover.
• Avoid throwing cigarettes or matches from a moving vehicle, as they can ignite roadside grass and cause a fire.
• Extinguish all open fires properly and do not throw live coals on the ground.
• Do not leave the fire unattended. Sparks or embers can blow onto leaves or grass, igniting a fire and spreading quickly.

What do we know about the victims?

Officials say it could take several weeks to identify the victims because traditional methods such as fingerprints and visual identification may not be available.

Here’s what we know so far about those reported dead, according to their families and international media.

Anthony Mitchell and his son Justin

Amputee Anthony Mitchell, 68, and his son Justin, who has cerebral palsy, were waiting for an ambulance to evacuate them.

“They didn’t understand,” said Hajime White, Mitchell’s daughter.

She shared that authorities notified the family that Mitchell was discovered by her son’s bedside in Altadena. According to The Washington Post, the family believes Mitchell was trying to save his son, who is in his 30s.

“She was not going to leave her son. Whatever it is,” said White, who lives in Warren, Arkansas and is Justin’s half-sister, adding that her father called her Wednesday morning to tell her they had to evacuate from the approaching flames. “Then he said I have to go, the fire is in the backyard,” she said. he recalled on January 9.

“I’ve got to go—the fire’s in the yard.”

Here are some of the last words of Anthony Mitchell Sr., whose daughter lives in Warren, Arkansas. She died at the bedside of her son, who was living with cerebral palsy, while waiting to be evacuated from the LA fires.

Rest easy. pic.twitter.com/cVs00gx4E1

— Arkansas Worker (@ArkansasWorker) January 13, 2025

Victor Shaw

Victor Shaw, 66, stayed behind to fight the Eaton fire and clutched a garden hose as flames engulfed his neighborhood.

According to news agency KTLA, he was trying to save the home his family had lived in for nearly 55 years. His sister, Shari Shaw, told KTLA that she tried to evacuate her brother with him.

“He didn’t respond when I went in and yelled his name and I had to get out because the embers were so big and blowing like a storm — I had to save myself,” Shari told KTLA. “I looked behind me and the house was on fire and I had to leave.”

Al Tanner, a friend of the family, said they found Victor’s charred body with a hose on the side of the road in the morning. Tanner said, “It looks like he was trying to save the house that his parents had for about 55 years.”

Victor Shaw is among those who lost their lives in the Eaton Fire, his sister told ABC News that he died heroically defending his Altadena home.

Shawn’s body was found in front of the house, still holding a garden hose.

More details: https://t.co/izW9Fe6YKR pic.twitter.com/FOcjjp3tqZ

— ABC News (@ABC) January 10, 2025

Rodney Nickerson

Altadena resident Rodney Nickerson, 82, died in his bed after staying home because he felt he would be fine because he waited at home, his daughter Kimiko said.

“He was packing some things, he was packing the car a little bit and he said he was going to pack his things but he was going to stay here … he said he felt this was going to pass and he was going to be here,” she said.

Kimiko said her father bought the house in 1968 with a down payment of $5 and raised his family there.

Erlene Kelley

When the Eaton fire started to spread Tuesday night, Erlien Kelly, 83, didn’t want to evacuate because previous fires had never reached her Altadena home.

“He was adamant about staying,” granddaughter Briana Navarro told The Los Angeles Times. “My husband was asking her if she was sure, if she wanted to come with us.”

After moving from Monmouth, Kelley and her late husband, Howard, bought their home in the late 1960s, where they raised their two children. Navarro said she, her husband and their two children moved in with their grandmother after their grandfather’s death. Her father, who lived a couple of miles away, tried to get her to go, but she refused.

Navarro and his family, as well as his father, evacuated the area after receiving orders to do so. She said she keeps in touch with her grandmother via text message.

Why are some of California’s colors pink now?

Recently, footage emerged of aerial tankers dropping vibrant red and pink dust around Los Angeles.

The fire-resistant substance has become a familiar sight in the region.

The Forest Service, which is using 13 aircraft to fight fires in Los Angeles, says they help stop oxygen fires and slow the rate of burning by cooling and covering vegetation and other surfaces.

The bright color helps pilots see where the retarder has already fallen to avoid overlap and provide effective coverage. It also makes the retardant line visible to ground crews, helping them stay behind the treated area where the fire is slowing down.

Perimeter, which supplies the Forest Service and other agencies with fire protection, says phosphate changes the breakdown of cellulose in plants, making them nonflammable.

Although fire extinguishers are generally considered safe for humans, recent studies have shown that they can harm human health and the environment due to the chemicals they contain.

The Forest Service prohibits the use of aerial suppressors over waterways and endangered species habitats except when human life or public safety is at risk due to potential health effects on fish and wildlife.