LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – The Palisades Fire, already one of the most destructive natural disasters in Los Angeles history, set its sights on yet another neighborhood on Saturday.
Ground and aerial firefighters scrambled to save homes in Brentwood, and at least one home was lost to the fire as of 1 p.m. Footage from Sky5 showed a house in Mandeville Canyon engulfed in flames and the fire encroaching on other properties in this exclusive neighborhood.
By Saturday night, the Palisades Fire was mapped at 23,654 acres and was 11% contained. More than 5,000 structures, many of them homes, have been destroyed in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu.
On Saturday night, aerial and ground crews are making progress as containment continues growing. Firefighters were desperately working to prevent the already deadly and historic wildfire from reaching another major population center, the San Fernando Valley, a short distance north of Brentwood over the Santa Monica Mountains.
The fire was moving north and east toward the Encino Hills. It also threatened the famous Getty Center and Skirball Center, which contain priceless works of art and historical relics.
Also, for the first time since the fire erupted on Tuesday, evacuation warnings have extended to the east side of the 405 Freeway into Bel-Air. In nearby Westwood, the UCLA Police Department told the university’s community to be prepared to evacuate.
More than 3,700 firefighting personnel were assigned to the blaze, and 24 helicopters and 463 engines were battling the flames.
The fire erupted on Tuesday, fanned by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds. Within hours, residential neighborhoods in the Pacific Palisades were leveled, and the iconic downtown area was wiped out. Homes and businesses along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu were also lost to the flames.
Damage is believed to be in the tens of billions of dollars – if not more than $100 billion.
Another urgent concern was the return of strong winds Saturday evening and beyond. A Fire Weather Watch was set to begin at 6 p.m. Saturday and remain in effect through 6 p.m. Sunday.
“Moderate to strong Santa Ana winds are likely to return Tuesday and Wednesday, creating critical fire weather conditions,” CalFire incident commanders said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
MEXICO SENDS FIREFIGHTERS
Mexico has sent 72 firefighters to Los Angeles on Saturday to help battle the devastating wildfires raging across the region.
“Emergencies have no borders,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom, who welcomed the group as they landed in L.A. “We are deeply grateful to our neighbors in Mexico for their unwavering support during one of our greatest times of need. Thank you to President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo for lending the best of the best.”
EVACUATION LIFTED FOR LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE
All evacuation orders in La Cañada Flintridge were lifted Saturday night, with only the Starlight Crest, Crown, and JPL Zones remaining under evacuation warnings.
“We’re glad to see some level of normalcy returning to our community and are grateful for everyone’s patience and cooperation during this challenging time,” said the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office. “Please continue to stay cautious in evacuation warning areas, as conditions can still change.”
STATE PREPARATIONS
The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services held a briefing on the next fire weather event. Watch the stream
TAX EXTENSION
Governor Newsom today announced that the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) will provide state disaster tax relief for taxpayers and businesses affected by the recent wildfires in Los Angeles.
DO NOT DRINK ORDERS IN EFFECT
The City of Los Angeles issued Do Not Drink orders for the Pacific Palisades and adjacent communities on Saturday.
The order, which is in effect for an unknown amount of time, affects the areas north of San Vicente Boulevard that are under evacuation orders, as well as the Pacific Palisades.
Crews will be distributing water bottles at the following locations:
- Westwood Recreation Center, 1350 S Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
- Adjacent to the Brentwood Country Club, 741 S. Gretna Green Way, Los Angeles
Those in the affected areas should avoid all tap water, even if it’s been treated or boiled.
CHARGERS HONORING LAFD DURING PLAYOFF WARMUPS
The Los Angeles Chargers are honoring firefighters back home as they warm up for a Wild Card Playoff game against the Houston Texans.
Posts made to social media show quarterback Justin Herbert wearing a LAFD hat in Chargers colors. The team’s coaching staff is also expected to wear custom LAFD gear during the game, which kicks off at 1:30 p.m.
EVACUATION ZONES
CalFire’s evacuation map as of noon Saturday:
METRO FARE SUSPENSION EXTENDED
Metro Los Angeles has extended its fare suspension through the weekend, the public transit agency announced on X.
The system remains up and running despite the wildfires throughout the Los Angeles area. Metro said fare validators should be turned off and should not be accepting payment.
MORE OUT OF STATE RESOURCES COMING TO L.A.
Fire crews from across America are en route or have arrived in Southern California to aid in the fight against the wildfires raging in the area.
Just a day after California Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a local state of emergency on Friday, his Texas counterpart, Gov. Greg Abbott, announced the deployment of firefighters, emergency management and fire personnel, fire engines and equipment to assist with wildfire response efforts.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management, Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System and the Texas Emergency Medical Task Force will send more than 135 personnel to SoCal, according to Gov. Abbott’s office.
It was previously announced that other states — including Nevada, Oregon and Washington, among others — were also sending aid to the region.
South of the border, Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said on social media that a humanitarian aid group was leaving for the U.S. on Saturday to help in the firefight.
NEWSOM DOUBLING CA NATIONAL GUARD PRESENCE
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on X that he’ll be doubling the presence of the California National Guard.
“We will now have 1,680 service members on the ground,” he said. “We are grateful for their continued bravery and commitment to be of service to others.”
Newsom previously said the service members would be used to enforce curfews and help support police officers.
LADWP SHARES OUTAGE NUMBERS, CLARIFIES ‘MISINFORMATION’
The Los Angeles City Department of Water and Power released updated statistics regarding outages in the Los Angeles area as of mid-morning Saturday:
- 28,500 electric customers without power (6,900 of those within Palisades Fire area)
- More than 24,000 customers’ power restored overnight
- 341,794 customers have had their power restored since the start of the windstorm
- 118 crews working to restore power with mutual aid from PG&E personnel
As of 7 a.m. Saturday, the communities with the most impacted customers were Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Los Feliz, North Hollywood, Sun Valley, Sherman Oaks and Pacoima, LADWP said.
“It may take crews 48 hours to respond to an outage, with longer response times in some areas requiring complex repairs,” the department said in a statement. “Customers without power who are within or near fire-impacted areas may also experience extended outages due to damage to our equipment or the inability of crews to physically access the equipment or the area to begin restoration. Our crews continue to focus on the longest-duration outages and ask for customers’ patience as our crews work in hazardous conditions to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.”
In their statement, LADWP also addressed “misinformation” about their water system that says “any assertion that fire hydrants in the Pacific Palisades were broken before the Palisades Fire is misleading and false.”
“LADWP works with LAFD, who is responsible for inspecting fire hydrants citywide,” the statement read in part. “LADWP repaired every hydrant needing repairs as reported by L.A. Fire Department inspectors. LADWP’s fire hydrant repair list was updated, and all reported fire hydrants were fully operational in the Pacific Palisades and in L.A.’s Westside communities prior to the fire.”
FLAMES PUSH TOWARD BRENTWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD
The Palisades Fire is nearing the Westridge neighborhood of Brentwood just before 11 a.m. after an aggressive push.
The flames are approaching several homes as smoke drapes over the residential neighborhood.
Fixed-wing aircrafts and helicopters are being deployed as crews battle the blaze.
L.A. MAYOR BASS ‘ANGRY’ OVER DESTRUCTION CITY IS FACING
In a press conference held separately from her L.A. County counterparts, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass — along with local law enforcement leaders — spoke Saturday morning about the wildfires and destruction the city is facing.
In her opening remarks, Mayor Bass said she, like all Angelenos, is “hurting, grieving…still in shock and angry” at the devastation but reminded residents of the need to “stay focused” on the task at hand: extinguishing the fires.
However, authorities are already conducting investigations into the successes — and failures — of the firefight.
“We need to stay focused, but I will say that when the fires are out, make no mistake, we will have a full accounting of what worked and especially what did not,” she said. “Let me be clear about something, the fire chief and I are focused on fighting these fires and saving lives, and any differences we might have will be worked out in private, but right now, our first and most important obligation is to get through this crisis.”
While Bass did not go into detail on the “differences,” LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley previously stated in an interview that city leadership failed her department by not providing enough money for firefighting.
Below: LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley speaks at a press conference Saturday morning with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, among others.
MANDEVILLE CANYON HOME GOES UP IN FLAMES
KTLA’s SKY 5 helicopter captured the chilling footage of a home that was engulfed in flames in the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The home, certain to be a total loss, was smothered in flames from the Palisades Fire.
The blaze had been pushing toward a neighborhood all of Saturday morning. SKY 5 footage previously showed the flames inching closer to a neighborhood.
ATF INVESTIGATING CAUSE OF PALISADES FIRE
The Los Angeles Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced they will be leading the investigation into the origin and cause of the deadly and destructive Palisades Fire.
“Certified fire investigators have been on scene and will continue to work in conjunction with state and local investigators to determine the cause of this tragic event,” L.A.’s ATF Bureau said on X.
NEW ARREST AND DEATH TOTALS
New figures released by officials show the amount of arrests and deaths that have occurred as a result of the Palisades Fire.
A total of three arrests have been made in relation to the Palisades fire. The exact charges were not revealed, but arrests have been made on suspicion of looting, burglary, ID theft, narcotics possession and breaking of curfew in connection with all of the Los Angeles wildfires in recent days.
In total, three people have been killed as a result of the blaze. 13 people are reported missing between the Palisades and Eaton fires.
ACREAGE UPDATED
The acreage in the Palisades Fire has been upgraded to 22,660 as of 8 a.m.
As of the 6:38 a.m. Cal Fire update, it was at 21,596. The increase in acreage can likely be contributed to the expansion of the fire toward the San Fernando Valley.
The fire is currently threatening Brentwood homes.
BLAZE APPROACHES HOMES IN BRENTWOOD
Images captured by KTLA’s SKY 5 helicopter showed flames approaching homes in the area of Cordelia and Westridge Road in Brentwood at about 7:30 a.m.
Those flames were making an aggressive push toward the neighborhood in the early hours of Saturday.
PALISADES FIRE CONTAINMENT RAISED TO 11%
The Palisades Fire is now at 11% containment, according to the latest Cal Fire update.
The update, issued at 6:28 a.m., is welcome news as the fire pushed toward the San Fernando Valley on Friday night.
Containment was at 8% as of the 1 a.m. update given early Saturday morning.