Summary

  • Four wildfires are currently burning around Los Angeles, with two others now described as being contained

  • The largest of them is spreading east and now threatens the wealthy neighbourhood of Brentwood - where new evacuation orders have been issued

  • At least 11 people have been killed so far and 13 others are missing

  • The disaster has also led to more than 12,000 homes and other structures being destroyed since Tuesday

  • Senior officials, including the mayor and fire chief, have defended their preparations and response to the fires

  • A forecast for more strong winds, predicted to last until Wednesday, has raised fears the blazes could spread further

Plane drops fire retardant over Los Angeles fires

Live Reporting

Edited by Adam Durbin

  1. Australia offers support - during its own fire season

    Tiffanie Turnbull
    BBC News, Sydney

    Wide show of Grampians National Park in Victoria with smoke billowing over the landscapeReuters

    A blaze in the Grampians National Park in the Australian state of Victoria on 25 December, 2024

    Despite being in the midst of its own bushfire season, Australia has offered to help authorities in Los Angeles.

    North American fire crews and aircraft were crucial when Australia faced its own unprecedented Black Summer fires, in 2019-20, and government minister Jenny McAllister has stressed that there is a "long history of co-operation between our countries on firefighting".

    "We are yet to receive any response for assistance... We’d assess, of course, our own needs. But we’ll do everything we responsibly can to help our colleagues in the United States if they ask us," she told Sky News Australia on Friday morning, local time.

    The breakout of fires in the middle of LA's winter has caused anxiety here in Australia, which has a comparatively small aerial firefighting fleet and relies on leasing aircraft from others. That leaves the country increasingly exposed as the northern hemisphere fire seasons expands and cuts into ours.

    There are currently more than a dozen fires blazing in the Australian state of New South Wales alone, although none of them are currently at emergency status.

  2. Evacuation alert mistakenly sent to whole county, residents say

    Christal Hayes & Max Matza
    Reporting from Altadena, California

    An alert was mistakenly sent to every cell phone in Los Angeles on Thursday, residents say, warning them a blaze would soon descend upon them.

    Approximately 10 million people live in the county.

    Rebecca Alvarez-Petit, who lives in west Los Angeles, was on a video work call when her phone started blaring. It echoed as each co-worker received the startling message that they might need to evacuate.

    "It was like a massive panic that I was watching in real-time," she says.

    A screengrab of the emergency alert

    Residents were sent this evacuation alert - which was later corrected

    While investigating whether they were in imminent danger, a further notification told them to disregard the evacuation alert. Alvarez-Petit says she felt relieved but also experienced a surge of anger.

    "We're all on pins and needles and have been anxiously sitting by our phones, staring at the TV, having the radio going - trying to stay as informed as possible because there wasn't a good system in place.

    "And then this. It's like - you have got to be kidding me."

    Notification saying that the previous alert was sent in error

    The follow-up alert Rebecca received

  3. ‘It’s gone. Altadena is all gone’

    Anna Boyd
    Live reporter

    Bonnie and Jason Matthews have lived in Altadena since 2017.

    On Tuesday they heard a fire had taken hold in Eaton Canyon, about five miles away.

    By 22:00, the power had gone and police drove by warning everyone to evacuate.

    Bonnie and Jason's house, with the glow of the Eaton fire rising behind it in the night sky

    Bonnie and Jason watched the fire approaching as evening fell

    They took their cats and left.

    "In the morning, we still had no word so my husband decided to drive up," Bonnie tells the BBC.

    "That’s when he texted me, 'It’s gone. Altadena is all gone.'"

    Jason took the below video upon arriving at their former home:

  4. Five fires still burning

    There are currently five fires burning in the Los Angeles area. Here's the current status of each:

    • Palisades: The largest and first to break out on Tuesday. It's burning through nearly 20,000 acres in the Pacific Palisades, destroying more than 5,300 structures. It's now 6% contained
    • Eaton: Spanning nearly 14,000 acres in Altadena and Pasadena, it's the only fire in the area to remain 0% contained
    • Kenneth: The newest of the five fires, impacting about 960 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. It's now 35% contained
    • Hurst: Fire officials are making some progress, with 37% of the fire, which spans nearly 800 acres, now contained.
    • Lidia: Nearly 400 acres are affected in the town of Acton. Fire officials have contained 75% of the fire

    Images show just how quickly some of these fires have spread - take a look at our map explainer.

    For context about what a wildfire being contained means, click here.

    Map titled 'California firefighters tackling five blazes', pointing out their location on a map of Los Angeles county and surrounding areas

  5. Are you affected by the LA fires?

    A graphic reads: get in touch

    Have you been personally affected by the wildfires in Los Angeles?

    Please get in touch, but only if it is safe to do so.

    You can also contact us in the following ways:

    In some cases, a selection of your comments and questions will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide them, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published.

  6. Workers destroy roads to stop flow of gas fuelling flames

    Ben Derico
    Reporting from Los Angeles

    A pick-up truck with flashing lights in the darkness

    We’ve arrived in Altadena, where the Eaton Fire has ripped through over 13,000 acres - many of them in a quiet suburban neighbourhood.

    As we drove down the darkened streets - it's midnight in LA - it was expectedly quiet. There wasn’t a person in sight.

    But in the distance we could see flashing flights.

    As we got closer, the lights gave way to the glow of flames steadily lapping against a lone chimney where a house once stood.

    Nearby crews from SoCal Gas were using jackhammers on the road in an effort to cut off the flow of gas fuelling the flames.

    “It’s been a day,” a man tells me.

  7. Scale of destruction is a significant shock - fire chief

    Man looks at remains of destroyed home in CaliforniaReuters

    More than 100,000 people have been evacuated in the Los Angeles area

    We can now bring you more from California fire chief David Acuna, who has been speaking to our colleagues on Radio 4's Today programme.

    He says that although wildfires in California are commonplace, what has been a "significant shock" is the number of structures destroyed.

    "It is unusual to have such a densely populated area with such a large fire roll through that", he says.

    There is no "hard data", he adds, but says more than 10,000 structures are likely to have been destroyed.

    He warns that winds over the coming days could lead to further destruction in the area.

  8. No evidence fires deliberately lit but investigations ongoing, fire chief tells BBC

    There is currently no evidence the wildfires across Los Angeles have been deliberately set, a fire official has just told the BBC.

    Speaking to our colleagues on Radio 4's Today programme, California fire chief David Acuna says investigations are just beginning and he doesn't have "any conclusive evidence" that the fires were purposely lit.

    "Now that the life safety is primarily taken care of, and that we have sufficient resources to assist with that, now they're able to start digging into the investigation and see what they can discover."

    We had earlier reported that a man was detained on suspicion of arson in Woodland Hills.

  9. Watch: Dramatic aerial footage shows Kenneth Fire threatening homes

    We've just received this aerial footage of the Kenneth Fire as it approaches some homes in the west of Los Angeles.

    The drone footage, captured by a local news broadcaster, shows flames from the most recent fire burning in nearby hills, with smoke billowing over entire neighbourhoods:

  10. 'One of the costliest wildfire disasters in modern US history'

    A satellite infrared image of burning buildings in Altadena. Thousands of properties are glowing red from the heat signature.Maxar

    A satellite infrared image of burning buildings in Altadena on Wednesday

    In a matter of 24 hours, AccuWeather has nearly tripled its preliminary estimate for total damage from the California wildfires.

    Its latest projection says losses could amount to as much as $150bn (£122bn), revised from an estimate of up to $57bn.

    “These fast-moving, wind-driven infernos have created one of the costliest wildfire disasters in modern US history,” AccuWeather's chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter says.

    The blazes have ripped through areas that are home to some of the most expensive property in the United States.

    Fire authorities say more than 5,300 structures have been destroyed by the Palisades blaze, while between 4,000 and 5,000 structures have potentially been damaged or destroyed by the Eaton Fire.

    The insurance industry is also bracing for a major hit, with analysts from firms such as Morningstar and JP Morgan forecasting insured losses of more than $8bn.

    Read more about the economic costs of these wildfires here.

  11. Devastated residents return to burnt-out homes

    Authorities in Los Angeles have reported that more than 10,000 properties have been destroyed in the last few days.

    Residents who were evacuated from the areas affected by the wildfires have returned to apocalyptic scenes of destruction, with many of their homes burned to the ground.

    Burnt out houses along a road in daylightReuters

    Burned-down houses are seen in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood

    A man and a woman hug in front of a burnt-out buildingEPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

    People embrace while looking over the remains of a home destroyed by the Eaton Fire

    Embers from a burning tree stump blow to the left, while a fireman works to put out flames on the right of the imageReuters

    The wind whips up embers in the Angeles National Forest near Mount Wilson

    Two women hug in front of a burnt-out buildingEPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

    Melissa Young (R) is hugged by a neighbour outside what is left of her home in the Altadena area

    The burning inside of a bulding, showing flames going up stairsReuters

    Flames engulf a building in Pasadena

  12. What does it mean for a wildfire to be contained?

    Firefighter battling fire near Los AngelesReuters

    High winds have hampered firefighting efforts in the area

    You can expect to see the word "containment" across this live page today as we bring you the latest on the wildfires in Los Angeles - but what does this mean?

    In brief, containment describes the progress firefighters make in controlling the spread of the flames.

    It's often listed as a percentage, which you will have seen in earlier posts on our page - like when we reported that authorities said the Lidia wildfire was 40% contained.

    According to the BBC's US partner, CBS, this means firefighter crews have established barriers around 40% of the fire's perimeter.

    Natural barriers include roads, rivers and oceans. Firefighters can also create barriers using equipment such as bulldozers, hoses and shovels to remove vegetation down to the bare soil, meaning there is nothing for the fire to burn.

    A fire being 100% contained doesn't mean it has been extinguished, but rather that the flames have been fully encircled and the spread has been effectively stopped.

  13. Kenneth Fire 35% contained, firefighters say

    The Kenneth Fire is now 35% contained, according to CalFire.

    The newest of the five active fires, which broke out on Thursday afternoon on the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, has burned over some 1,000 acres of land.

    "Grateful for the heroic firefighters from Los Angeles and Ventura counties who are actively engaged on the scene, deploying both ground crews and aerial resources," California governor Gavin Newsom said in an X post.

  14. Death toll rises to 10, man detained for arson and other key lines

    Map with an overview of the current fires, pointing out their locations across Los Angeles

    For those just joining our coverage, here are some of the key lines from the last few hours as wildfires continue to devastate Los Angeles:

    • At least 10 people have died in the wildfires, the California city's medical examiner said
    • There are currently five fires still active in the area: Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, Hurst and Lidia
    • A man has been detained on suspicion of arson, as the Los Angeles Police Department says it believes the Kenneth Fire - the latest to break out - was intentionally started
    • Mayor Karen Bass also warned of zero tolerance for looters, following reports that at least 20 people have been arrested
    • Firefighters have managed to contain 6% of the Palisades Fire, the biggest of the fires and the first to break out on Tuesday. It has since burnt nearly 20,000 acres
    • The Eaton Fire in Altadena and Pasadena is currently 0% contained
    • More powerful winds are expected today and next week, which could continue to affect fires in Las Vegas and Ventura counties
    • President Joe Biden has announced that the federal government will cover the full cost of measures to "protect lives and property" in southern California for six months

  15. The latest images as firefighters battle flames

    Let's take a look at some of the latest dramatic photos coming to us from the LA area:

    The wind whips embers while a firefighter battles the fire in the Angeles National ForestReuters
    A helicopter drops water on the Kenneth wildfire in the Woodland HillsEPA
    Firefighters battle the fire in the Angeles National ForestReuters
    Jess Willard looks for his belongings amidst the debris from his home burnt down by the Eaton FireReuters

  16. Satellite images show scale of smoke

    Satellite images show smoke clouds billowing off the Palisades fire, near Malibu, and the Eaton fire, near Altadena

  17. Nearly 800 inmates fighting the wildfires

    Claire Betzer
    Reporting from Washington, DC

    Firefighters battle the fire in the Angeles National Forest near Mt. WilsonReuters

    California’s Department of Corrections confirmed to the BBC that nearly 800 prisoners are working with CalFire to slow the spread of the wildfires, as part of a voluntary program.

    CalFire has about 4,700 of its own first responders deployed now, so it’s a surprisingly significant number of incarcerated people supporting the response.

    The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation runs firefighting training camps across the state for prison inmates, who support authorities' disaster response.

    Over 1,800 incarcerated volunteer firefighters are housed in these camps, officials said. They typically earn little to no pay, according to rights groups.

  18. Possible arson suspect taken into custody

    Los Angeles police say they have detained a man suspected of trying to light a fire in the Woodland Hills area of the city.

    A statement said that, at 16:32 local time on Thursday (00:32 GMT on Friday), officers received a call about a "possible arson suspect on the 21700 block of Ybarra Road".

    "Comments of the call stated a male was heard stating a suspect was 'attempting to light a fire'," it said.

    "The suspect is in custody and was transported to Topanga Station."

    Ybarra Road is immediately north of the area where the Palisades Fire has been burning since Tuesday, but police stressed that an investigation was continuing and that they could not confirm "any connection to any fire by this suspect at this time".

  19. Death toll climbs as LA wildfires continue wreaking destruction

    Adam Durbin
    Live editor

    The wind whips embers while a firefighter battles the fire in the Angeles National Forest near Mt. WilsonReuters

    At least 10 people are now confirmed to have died in Los Angeles wildfires, which have destroyed more than 10,000 structures in the area.

    Firefighters continue to battle the spread of the flames, while police are investigating whether some have been set deliberately.

    Officers are also being assisted by soldiers from California's National Guard to maintain public order, as incidents of looting have taken place.

    One man has been arrested on suspicion of arson in relation to the most recent fire, Kenneth Fire, while 20 others have been arrested for looting evacuated properties.