<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The two biggest </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/la-fires-live-updates-latest-news-as-malibu-and-hollywood-burn/0512218f-c03f-4be7-8ebf-7761b30ac4de" rel="" target="" title="wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area have killed at least 10 people"><span>wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area have killed at least 10 people</span></a><span> and burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures, officials said as they urged more people to heed </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/la-fires-update-california-firefighters-tackle-deadly-wildfires-as-winds-ease/5cccb724-e00d-46eb-b0e0-f2e136a6bdbf" rel="" target="" title="evacuation orders after a new blaze ignited"><span>evacuation orders after a new blaze ignited</span></a><span> and quickly grew.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Kenneth Fire started in the late on Thursday afternoon (Friday AEDT) in the San Fernando Valley just 3.2 kilometres from a school serving as a shelter for evacuees from another fire. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It moved into neighbouring Ventura County but a large and aggressive response by firefighters stopped the flames from spreading.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/los-angeles-fires-famous-landmarks-destroyed/6b9fa7b6-9ffd-4fb6-b03b-a0782f349e30"><strong><span>Hollywood landmarks destroyed in wildfires</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>About 400 firefighters remained on scene overnight to guard against the fire flaring up.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Only hours before the Kenneth Fire roared to life </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/as-wildfires-rage-in-los-angeles-trump-doesnt-offer-much-sympathy-hes-casting-blame/42845f95-edf0-4c9a-9a26-e0ac9b63918a" rel="" target="" title="officials expressed encouragement after firefighters"><span>officials expressed encouragement after firefighters</span></a><span> aided by calmer winds and help from crews from outside the state saw the first signs of successfully beating back the region's two devastating wildfires.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Eaton Fire near Pasadena that started on Tuesday night has burned more than 5000 structures, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. Firefighters were able to establish the first bit of containment on Thursday.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/la-fires-update-pacific-palisades-eaton-fires-burn-at-least-10000-structures-hundreds-of-thousands-evacuated/e18b1ce8-a5d1-418c-baf2-734f6caba066" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>To the west in Pacific Palisades, the largest of the fires burning in the LA area has destroyed over 5300 structures and firefighters had no containment.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>All of the major fires that have broken out this week are located in a roughly 40-kilometre band north of downtown Los Angeles, spreading a sense of fear and sadness across the nation's second-largest city. No cause has been identified for the largest fires.</span></div></div><div class="styles__Wrapper-sc-2o34ro-0 cmwkBV"><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><a href="/content/2025/01/08/11/43/los-angeles-fires-in-pictures-wildfires-race-across-southern-california"><img alt="" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 636px, (min-width: 768px) 396px, 100vw" src="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/nAuVFvbf6yw_46YNUqFXAWLUxqQ=/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Fe3021344-93a3-4564-b083-687affcf9ddc" srcset="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/nAuVFvbf6yw_46YNUqFXAWLUxqQ=/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Fe3021344-93a3-4564-b083-687affcf9ddc 396w, https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/--bsScBDhVeN1aGaNtOG2PJ14fY=/636x358/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Fe3021344-93a3-4564-b083-687affcf9ddc 636w"/></a></div><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><div class="styles__Headline-sc-2o34ro-4 hpbOlz">Satellite image shows true devastation of fires</div><div class="styles__Button-sc-2o34ro-1 eBjlmW"><a class="styles__ButtonLink-sc-2o34ro-2 hqpklJ" href="/content/2025/01/08/11/43/los-angeles-fires-in-pictures-wildfires-race-across-southern-california">View Gallery</a></div></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Several weather monitoring agencies announced on Friday that </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/la-fires-2025-what-started-it-everything-to-know-explainer/2542c14a-1c3c-476b-9beb-9db0a9d17fef" rel="" target="" title="Earth recorded its hottest year ever in 2024"><span>Earth recorded its hottest year ever in 2024</span></a><span>. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Hurricane Helene, floods in Spain and the weather whiplash fuelling wildfires in California are symptoms of this unfortunate climate gear shift," University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The level of devastation is jarring even in a state that has grown used to massive wildfires. A large portion of scenic Pacific Palisades has been obliterated. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Dozens of blocks in the seaside neighbourhood were flattened to smoldering rubble. In neighbouring Malibu, blackened palm strands were all that was left above debris where oceanfront homes once stood.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At least five churches, a synagogue, seven schools, two libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and groceries were burned. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>So too were the Will Rogers' Western Ranch House and Topanga Ranch Motel, local landmarks dating to the 1920s.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage or specifics about how many structures burned.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>AccuWeather, a private company that provides data on weather and its impact, on Thursday increased its estimate of the damage and economic loss to $US135-$150 billion ($218 - $242 billion).</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Firefighters made significant gains on Thursday at slowing the spread of the major fires, but containment remained far out of reach.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Crews also knocked down a blaze in the Hollywood Hills with the help of water drops from aircraft, allowing an evacuation to be lifted on Thursday. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The fire that sparked late on Wednesday near the heart of the entertainment industry came perilously close to igniting the famed Hollywood Bowl outdoor concert venue.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>The enormity of the destruction emerges</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Earlier in the week, hurricane-force winds blew embers, that ignited hillsides.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Right now, it's impossible to quantify the extent of the destruction other than "total devastation and loss," said Barbara Bruderlin, head of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There are areas where everything is gone, there isn't even a stick of wood left, it's just dirt," Bruderlin said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Of the 10 deaths so far, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley confirmed two were in the Palisades Fire. County officials said the Eaton Fire had killed five. Cadaver dogs and crews are searching through rubble to see if there are more victims.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Two of the dead were Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy. They were waiting for an ambulance to come and did not make it to safety when the flames roared through, Mitchell's daughter, Hajime White, told </span><em><span>The Washington Post</span></em><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Shari Shaw told </span><a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/eaton-fire-victim-dies-holding-a-hose-defending-home/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title=""><span>KTLA</span></a><span> that she tried to get her 66-year-old brother, Victor Shaw, to evacuate Tuesday night but he wanted to stay and fight the fire. Crews found his body with a garden hose in his hand.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On Thursday, recovery crews pulled a body from rubble of what was a beachfront residence in Malibu. A charred washer and dryer were among the few things that remained identifiable in the home along the Pacific Coast Highway.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>There have been evacuations, school closures and arrests</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At least 180,000 people were under evacuation orders, and the fires have consumed about 117 square kilometres, which is roughly the size of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles' history.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>All schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second largest, will be closed again on Friday because of the heavy smoke wafting over the city and ash raining down in parts.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At least 20 arrests have been made for looting. The city of Santa Monica, which is next to Pacific Palisades, declared a curfew because of the lawlessness, officials said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday evening. They'll be stationed near fire-ravaged areas to protect property.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Actors among those who lost homes</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Many celebrities live in areas devastated by fire. Among those who lost their homes were Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Jamie Lee Curtis pledged $US1 million ($1.6 million) to start a "fund of support" for those affected by the fires that touched all economic levels from the city's wealthy to its working class.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>State seeing a longer fire season</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>California's wildfire season is beginning earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall tied to climate change, according to recent data.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, which has not seen more than 2.5 millimetres of rain since early May.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Some losses feel greater than others</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Robert Lara sifted through the remains of his home in Altadena on Thursday with tears in his eyes, hoping to find a safe containing a set of earrings that once belonged to his great-great-grandmother.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"All our memories, all our sentimental attachments, things that were gifted from generation to generation to generation are now gone," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><strong><span>Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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