Friday 10 / January / 2025
California National Guard deployed to prevent looting
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said his team is beefing up security in the area to proactively stop anyone they see in an evacuation area.
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the deployment of California National Guards soldiers in Los Angeles.
"Taking advantage of evacuated communities is absolutely sick," he said in a tweet.
Around 20 people have been arrested in looting instances in the affected area since the first fires broke out on Tuesday, Luna said.
"When we have an evacuation order by law, if you remain in that area, you are guilty of a misdemeanor. If you commit certain crimes, it could jump up to a felony," Luna said.
"If you are in one of these areas and you do not belong there, you are going to be subject to arrest."
Biden promises 100% help with recovery
US President Joe Biden, who has declared a major disaster, has promised that the federal government would reimburse 100% of the recovery for the next 180 days.
The funding would pay for debris and hazard material removal, temporary shelters and first responder salaries.
"I told the governor, local officials, spare no expense to do what they need to do and contain these fires," Biden said after he met senior advisers at the White House.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters on Thursday that California has made only a "few requests" so far for aid from the military to fight the fires, but he has taken steps to ensure troops are ready if needed.
"We stand ready to surge capability in as quickly as possible,"
Austin said during a press conference in Germany. "I've done some things to cause our troops to get in a three-point stance to make sure that ... if the whistle blows we are ready to move in and provide assistance."
Death roll rises to 10
The death toll from the California wildfires has risen to 10, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner.
"All cases are currently pending identification and legal next of kin notification," the coroner's office said in a statement.
Sheriff Robert Luna of Los Angeles County stated at an earlier press conference that he expects the number of fatalities to increase.
Meanwhile, more than 10,000 structures, many of them homes, have been burned in wildfires in the Los Angeles area, according to the officials.
More than 5,300 structures have been damaged or destroyed in the hilly coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, making this the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history.
What we know about the fires
The fires are located in a roughly 25-mile (40-kilometer) corridor north of downtown Los Angeles.
Dry desert winds are said to have fanned the flames of the wildfires.
To the west, the Pacific Palisades Fire is the largest of the blazes. It has destroyed some 5,300 structures across 19,000 acres (7,700 hectares) and firefighters have so far reported no containment.
The Eaton Fire near Pasadena began on Tuesday night and has burned more than 5,000 structures — a term embracing houses, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. Firefighters managed to start to contain the fire on Thursday.
Another blaze, the Kenneth Fire, started late on Thursday afternoon in the San Fernando Valley and moved into neighboring Ventura County. While it appeared to spread rapidly at first, the Ventura County fire department said its forward progress had been stopped.
Two other smaller fires are blazing further north in the Hurst and Lidia areas.
