LA fires latest: LA firefighters battle desert winds forecast for days as 16 dead

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna warned residents against venturing back to destroyed homes to sift through rubble for keepsakes.

“We have people driving up and around trying to get in just to look. Stay away,” Mr Luna said, urging people to abide by curfews.

Officials on Saturday warned the ash can contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other harmful materials.

“If you’re kicking that stuff up, you’re breathing it in,” said Chris Thomas, a spokesman for the unified incident command at the Palisades Fire who warned the material was “toxic”.

Residents will be allowed to return with protective gear after damage teams evaluate their properties, Mr Thomas said.

Matthew Perry’s former Pacific Palisades home, where he tragically died from a ketamine overdose in 2023, has miraculously survived the devastating wildfires raging through the city of Los Angeles.

The four-bedroom, four-bathroom property, located in the affluent coastal neighborhood west of L.A., survived the catastrophic Palisades fire that has gone on to burn more than 22,661 acres, the home’s new owner has confirmed on Instagram.

“It’s hard to put into words how devastated we feel. It’s been such a tough week, but we are incredibly thankful to have learned that our house is okay,” wrote Anita Verma-Lallian, a real estate developer and film producer, who purchased Perry’s estate last October for $8.5 million.

Fire crews are fighting to cut off the spreading blazes before strong winds return that could potentially push the flames toward some of the LA’s most famous landmarks.

The winds could move the blazes towards J Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, prompting another wave of anxiety as more evacuation warnings are issued.

In a briefing posted online on Saturday evening, Michael Traum of the California Office of Emergency Services said: “Weather conditions are still critical and another round of strong winds is expected starting Monday.”

The National Weather Service warned that strong Santa Ana winds could soon return. Those winds have been largely blamed for turning the wildfires into infernos that levelled entire neighborhoods around the city where there has been no significant rainfall in more than eight months.

California fire tornados formed as strong winds whipped up flames in the Pacific Palisades wildfires.

The tornado was spotted on Friday night (10 January) as the wildfires blazed through the San Fernando Valley in California.

Strong winds have been blamed for turning wildfires into infernos that leveled entire neighborhoods in the LA area, where there has been no significant rainfall in more than eight months.

Los Angeles firefighters continue to battle several stubborn wildfires across the California county as the death toll grows to at least 16 people.

Anthony and Justin Mitchell Anthony Mitchell and his son, Justin, reportedly died in Altadena due to the Eaton fire. One of the 67-year-old’s children, Justin, had cerebral palsy and did not walk. Anthony Mitchell was an amputee and used a wheelchair to get around.

His son, also named Anthony, told NBC News that his father likely could have escaped their home himself, but would never have left his son Justin alone.

The father was found dead next to Justin’s bed. Justin also died due to the fire.

Kelly chose not to evacuate when the Eaton fire neared her home in Altadena. She was killed on Thursday evening when the fire overtook her home.

Shaw chose to stay behind and attempt to fight the fire at his Altadena home. He was found dead with a garden house in his hand just outside him home.

Nickerson’s daughter told KCAL that her father said he would be fine, and chsoe to stay behind at his home in Altadena. She last heard from him while he was spraying water around his property as the Eaton fire neared.

A former Australian child star, Sykes died after he was unable to be rescued from a cottage he lived inside on his mother’s property in Malibu. The cottage caught fire and his mother was unable to reach him before the building was engulfed in flames.

Sykes had cerebral palsy and was unable to evacuate himself from the cottage.

The fires continue to encroach on The Getty Center and Villa. Getty officials say there is no need to evacuate the art and the facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art protections in case of fire.

Still, the flames are becoming dangerously close.

Watch Duty, a free app that shows active fires, mandatory evacuation zones, air quality indexes, wind direction and offers information on wildfires, has become a lifeline to LA residents this week.

Over 1m people have downloaded the app in the last few days, causing it to soar to the top of Apple and Google app stores. The company behind it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It’s supported by a team of volunteer engineers and reporters.

The app is free but takes tax-deductible donations.

Any assertion that the fire hydrants in the Pacific Palisades were broken before the Palisades fire is misleading and false, the agency said in a statement on Saturday in an attempt to dispel misinformation.

The agency works with the fire department, which is responsible for inspecting fire hydrants citywide. Water and Power said it repaired all hydrants needing repairs before the blaze. The agency’s fire hydrant repair list was current and updated, the statement continues.

“According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, potential direct smoke impact from the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst Wildfires burning has caused unhealthy air quality in Los Angeles County,” a statement released by the agency states.

Smoke from the multiple fires is expected to most heavily impact northwest coastal Los Angeles County, including Pacific Palisades, Altadena and Pasadena. The advisory remains in effect through Sunday, January 12, 2025, at 10:00 pm, the agency said.