Death toll rises to 10 as wildfires turn LA into ‘war zone’ with 10,000 homes burned down & $150billion worth of damage
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RAGING wildfires ripping through Los Angeles have killed ten people and destroyed 10,000 homes. Out-of-control flames have been tearing through neighborhoods for days as fierce winds threaten to fuel the towering infernos. Fire responders and cadaver dogs continue to comb through charred debris in a desperate search for victims after the most devastating blaze in LA's history.
![[A house is threatened as the Palisades Fire grows in the mountains in the community of Topanga, California]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/2025-two-largest-fires-burning-962669326.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
So far, authorities have confirmed ten deaths - but it is feared the toll could be much higher as the flames wreak havoc. More than 180,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes - with a further 200,000 warned they may need to quickly evacuate.
![[Burnt out cars and Houses from the Pacific Palisades]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/burnt-cars-houses-pacific-palisades-962681256.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The Palisades Fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on the city's western flank and the Eaton Fire in the east near Pasadena have consumed some 53 square miles. Neighborhoods have been reduced to ash, with celebrities including John Goodman and Leighton Meester watching their pads burn down.
![[January 8, 2025. Pacific Palisades, CA. Scenes from a neighborhood in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles the day after a severe fire destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures. Credit: David Butow/Redux / eyevine For further information please contact eyevine tel: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709 e-mail: info@eyevine.com www.eyevine.com]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/eyevine_Pacific_Palisades_Fire_0013jpg-JS962540257.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
A third fast-moving inferno dubbed Kenneth Fire has sparked mass evacuations in Calabasas and Hidden Hills. It is being investigated as arson - with one suspect arrested. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said areas of the city "look like a bomb was dropped in them" - branding the fires a "crisis".
![[A satellite image shows houses in Pacific Palisades in the aftermath of a wildfire]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/satellite-image-shows-houses-pacific-962680062.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The devastating fires are set to have a costly impact on the city and its residents - with private forecaster Accuweather estimating the total damage and economic loss up to $150 billion. Joe Biden announced on Thursday that the federal government will cover 100 per cent of the cost of the fires.
![[LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 8: Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Fueled by intense Santa Ana Winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to over 15,000 acres and 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate while a second major fire continues to burn near Eaton Canyon in Altadena. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/GYI2192412208jpg-JS962476247-1.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
