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Dangerous winds return to Los Angeles area, threatening to fan deadly flames
What you need to know
• Firefighters are facing challenging conditions in their battle against the Los Angeles wildfires, with powerful winds forecast over the next 24 hours that could cause extreme fire behavior in the blazes or turn any new spark into a raging inferno.
• The Eaton and Palisades fires are likely the second and fourth most destructive in California history. The total area burned by the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires is about 60 square miles, an area larger than Paris.
• A new blaze, the Auto Fire, broke out late Monday in Ventura County, part of an area under the highest fire threat as winds pick up, prompting a swift response from local fire departments.
• For ways to help Los Angeles County residents, visit CNN Impact Your World.
Videos appear to show moment Eaton Fire may have started
Videos captured by nearby residents appear to show the moment the Eaton Fire began on Tuesday evening.
Pedro Rojas recorded video from the backyard of his Pasadena home around 6:24 p.m. on January 7 and told CNN that he and his family were evacuated within the next 20 minutes.
Rojas’ video shows flames at the base of an electrical transmission tower at 6:24 p.m. and by 6:41 p.m., he says he and his family evacuated.
Officials have not yet determined the cause of the ongoing fires, but they are investigating an electrical transmission tower in Eaton Canyon as the possible origin site of the Eaton Fire, according to the Los Angeles Times.
See the moment captured on video here:
“We just took important documents and a few clothes and took off,” he said.
umes of smoke can be seen billowing out of the area as gusts of wind are heard throughout the video.
Luckily, that wasn’t the case for the family. Rojas said his house and a few of his neighbors’ houses survived the fire, but houses a few streets over were destroyed and are gone.
Rojas said he and his family are now in Azusa, staying at a hotel until they can get back to their neighborhood and their home.
Altadena residents Jennifer and Marcus Errico took photos around 6:15 p.m. of a similar scene at Eaton Canyon. The Erricos told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Friday they spotted a small blaze underneath the transmission line that runs through the canyon.
Listen to The Erricos interview here:
Footage by another Altadena resident shows flames at the base of the tower around 6:19 p.m.
Jeffrey Ku recorded video from a distance of an electrical tower on fire and told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Monday night that he did whatever he could to save his home.
Ku continued to record videos of the fire as it rapidly grew by the minute. By the time he and Cheryll left their house at 6:53 p.m., the sky was filled with an orange haze and smoke as they drove away.
Listen to The Kus recap their experience here:
CNN’s Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.
About 88,000 LA County residents under evacuation orders, sheriff says
About 88,000 Los Angeles County residents are under evacuation orders, county Sheriff Robert Luna said Tuesday during a news conference.
More than 84,000 residents are under evacuation warnings, he added.
An evacuation order is mandatory, while a warning is meant to prepare residents who may soon need to evacuate. People at least should start getting ready to leave when an evacuation warning is issued, Luna said.
“Actually, we recommend you go,” he said. “Don’t wait ‘til the order is given.”
FEMA assistance now available for those impacted by the wildfires
Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance is now available for people impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles County, FEMA Region 9 Administrator Robert Fenton Jr. said Tuesday during a news conference.
FEMA has expedited delivery of Serious Needs Assistance, which provides people with money to pay for emergency supplies including water, food, medication and fuel for transportation, Fenton said.
Those impacted by the fires can also apply for other forms of assistance through FEMA, including help with temporary housing, transportation costs, medical bills, personal property and even funeral costs, he said.
“FEMA assistance is intended to really cover your basic needs and help jump start the recovery process,” Fenton said.
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