California wildfires rip through LA forcing 30,000 people to evacuate
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Two civilians have been reported dead as wildfires in the Los Angeles area have destroyed 1,000 structures and continue to grow. The Eaton fire raging near Altadena and Pasadena appears to be the first to have claimed lives. ‘We have over 500 personnel assigned, and unfortunately, we have two reported fatalities, two civilians,’ said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone on Wednesday morning.
![[A U.S flag flies as fire engulfs a structure while the Palisades Fire burns during a windstorm on the west side of Los Angeles, California, U.S. January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235379511-7e01.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
There have also been ‘a number of significant injuries’, he said. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video. Up Next. The Eaton fire has scorched around 2,000 acres and the Palisades inferno near Santa Monica continues to expand.
![[ALTADENA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 08: Fire engulfs a home as the Eaton Fire moves through the area on January 08, 2025 in Altadena, California. Fueled by intense Santa Ana Winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to over 2,900 acres and 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate while a second fire has emerged near Eaton Canyon in Altadena. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235354698-d155.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
‘We have well over 5,000 acres that have burned, and the fire is growing,’ Marrone said of the Palisades fire. The Palisades fire has obliterated 1,000 structures, Marrone added. Firefighters in California are running out of water after an ‘unprecedented’ outbreak of wildfires has engulfed large swathes of Los Angeles.
![[People flee from the advancing Palisades Fire, by car and on foot, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235322879-b82b.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Over 30,000 people have been evacuated from their homes so far as fires in the affluent neighbourhoods of Palisades Precinct and Eaton have spread faster than emergency services can respond to them, with experts warning the worst is still yet to come.
![[The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235357995-6a29.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Extreme winds of up to 100mph have played a large role in spreading the fires so quickly, which are among the strongest seen in California for decades. Experts have said there is no chance of containing the fires until the winds, which are forecast to continue for several days, begin to subside.
![[PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 7: People enter an evacuation zone to take selfie photos and videos near burning homes at the Eaton Fire on January 7, 2025 in Pasadena, California. A powerful Santa Ana wind event has dramatically raised the danger of wind-driven wildfires such as the dangerous and destructive Palisades Fire near Santa Monica. The strong winds also forced President Joe Biden to cancel his plan to travel between Los Angeles and Riverside, California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235364745-7a10.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
